Hi everybody and welcome! It’s really hard to believe that back to school is almost here again. I know everybody is getting ready by buying his or her school supplies, uniforms, backpacks and lunch boxes. Since back to school occurs during the high point of hurricane season, you and your family should have your severe weather plans in place. Remember that severe weather can occur very rapidly in Florida with little or no warning. Your family should plan on what you will do in the event severe weather strikes and your child is at school. You should decide now if you will pick up your children from school or if they will ride the busses home. Try to let your children know that they should not be afraid during weather disasters but rather tell them to listen and follow the instructions of the teachers until you can safely get them home. Tell them not to panic but to remain calm. Try to explain to them what hurricanes and thunderstorms are. If they understand what the storms are all about, it might relive the anxiety. Explain what a hurricane watch or warning means, what a tornado warning means etc. Practice family disaster drills so your children will know what to expect.
In a recent survey, 41% of people living in hurricane prone areas do not have an emergency plan. Make your emergency plans today. Don’t wait for a storm to be on our doorstep before making important decisions. The Red Cross has an excellent resource on family hurricane preparedness. You can access it by going online to JOESDISCOWEATHERCENTRAL.COM and click on the Red Cross hurricane Preparedness link.
Well. It looks like the rains are finally returning. Today, Wednesday, July 23rd, I had one of the worst storms I have seen in many days. The thunder started rumbling at around 3:30 pm but by 5:00 pm, the rain was coming in sheets and the lightning had the sky glowing. The rainfall rate was at 3 – 6 inches per hour for at least 50 minutes. At times, it was difficult to see across the street. I recorded a total of 3.58 inches in about 45 minutes. The highest wind gust was around 20 mph, which blew down some small trees in the neighborhood. The really strange part was it was sunny in Stuart. Most of the bad weather was from Port St. Lucie to Fort Pierce, which also received some heavy lightning and rain.
With the rain pattern moving more toward the coast, we can expect to see more rain closer to the coast during the next week.
Now, on to the Time Capsule….
August 1-2, 1898 -- statewide -- A hurricane made landfall near West Palm Beach and crossed the peninsula to Tampa Bay. The hurricane moved into the Gulf of Mexico and made a second landfall near Apalachicola.
August 1, l899 -- northwest Florida -- A Hurricane hit Franklin County and six died. Seven ships were wrecked in the Gulf of Mexico.
August 1, 1957 -- afternoon -- Volusia Co., Pierson -- Lightning killed one person.
August 1, l962 -- afternoon -- Duval Co., Ft. George Island -- Lightning killed one person and injured another.
August l, l963 -- afternoon -- Brevard Co., Scottsmoor -- Lightning killed a tractor operator in an orange grove. - Duval Co., Jacksonville - Lightning killed a golf course grounds worker mowing the grass.
August 1, l983 -- Okaloosa Co., Crestview -- Lightning killed a mother and her son who were trying to evacuate their home.
August l, l988 -- Pinellas Co., Dunedin -- Lightning killed a 26 year old male when it struck the mast of his sailboat while he and friends were exiting the boat.
August1, l990 -- Palm Beach Co., W. Palm Beach -- Lightning killed a mother and daughter, injured another child as they fished at a pond near the airport.
August 1, 1995 -- Palm Beach County -- A 15-year-old male surfer drowned in a rip current associated with tropical storm Erin off a Palm Beach County Beach.
August 2, l976 -- afternoon -- Alachua Co. -- Lightning killed an eighteen-year old female and injured a man while they were working in a tobacco shed on a farm.
August 2, l980 -- Monroe Co., Duck Key -- Lightning killed a 72-year-old man as he stopped on a bridge to check a crab trap. The lightning struck the victim in the temple, traveled down his left side, and exited through his heel, knocking a two by 3 inch depression in the concrete surface of the bridge.
August 2, l982 -- Escambia Co., Pensacola Beach -- Lightning killed a 40-year-old man while he was standing on a fishing pier.
August 2, l988 -- Bay Co., Panama City Beach -- Lightning killed an eighteen-year old male on a golf course.
August 2, l989 -- Marion Co., Eureka -- Lightning killed a woman as she exited her car. A daughter inside was not injured although the lightning punctured the car.
August 2-3, l898 -- A Hurricane hit Apalachicola. 12 died.
August 2-3, l970 -- Florida Panhandle -- Hurricane Celia -- At least eight persons drowned on Panhandle beaches due to the effects of Hurricane Celia which passed hundreds of miles to the south and made landfall near Corpus Christi, Texas. Rip tides and heavy surf with waves up to 10ft pounded the beaches of Escambia, Okaloosa and Santa Rosa Counties. The Escambia County Sheriff reported 25-30 emergency calls with lifeguards rescuing at least l2 people. Tides ran about l foot above normal, but there were no other significant meteorological features.
August 2-4, 1995 -- east central Florida and western Panhandle –Hurricane Erin made landfall near Sebastian Inlet in southern Brevard County early on the morning of the 2nd. Brevard County bore the brunt of the storm with wind gusts to 100 mph between Melbourne Beach and Cocoa Beach knocking down trees on houses, cars, and power lines. The winds damaged thousands of roofs and completely destroyed some roofs. As Erin moved through Orlando during the morning wind gusts to 60 mph downed trees on power lines, houses and cars. About one-half million people were without power initially, several thousand were without power for more than five days. Heavy rains of up to 8 inches in three hours on the backside of Erin hit Brevard County again on the afternoon of the 2nd causing widespread flooding of low lying areas. Many houses were flooded west and northwest of Melbourne and many roads were impassable for several days. Erin moved into the Gulf of Mexico on the afternoon of the 2nd as a tropical storm, but regained strength before making a second Florida landfall near Pensacola on the morning of the 4th with winds gusting to 110 mph. Widespread wind damage to houses and business was reported. Large trees crashed into houses, cars, and power lines. Most people in the area were without power for several days. Damage in the Pensacola area was estimated at 300 million dollars. The only deaths directly associated with Erin were at sea. A 234 ft gambling/cruise ship sunk 90 miles off Cape Canaveral around 4AM on the 2nd killing 3. Five people were drown in the Gulf of Mexico.
August 3, l965 -- afternoon -- Brevard Co., Kennedy Space Center - Lightning killed a crane operator in the launching area. Six injuries.
August 4, l957 -- Dade Co., Miami -- Wind, Lightning, Hail -- Strong, gusty winds caused considerable minor damage in the Miami area; lightning injured l person. Strong winds along waterfront damaged many small boats. Some hail reported in area.
August 6, l964 -- afternoon -- Lake Co., Lake Silver -- Lightning killed one person.
August 6, l973 -- Charlotte Co., Punta Gorda -- Lightning killed a l5 year old standing on a golf tee. One person was injured while operating a mower in the same area.
August 6, 1996 -- Escambia Co., Perdido Key -- Three people working at a construction site at Perdido Key were struck by lightning. One of the persons died. The three were huddled underneath a makeshift lean-to. One of the men had a rake in his hand when the bolt hit. Lightning either struck their shelter, the deceased, or the rake he was holding.
August 7, l962 -- Marion Co., Lake Kerr -- Lightning killed a fisherman near the shore of the lake.
August 7, l992 -- Dade Co., Miami Beach -- Lightning killed a tourist as he walked away from the beach.
August 7, 1996 -- Broward Co., Ft. Lauderdale Beach -- A 16-year-old male drowned in a rip current along an unguarded section of Ft. Lauderdale Beach.
That’s all for this weeks Time Capsule. I hope you enjoyed it. I love to
hear from you! Please e-mail me your ideas and suggestions to JOESDISCOWEATHER@AOL.COM. As always,
for the latest in severe weather updates and now winter weather updates from
your hometown go to JOESDISCOWEATHERCENTRAL.COM! You can also join me for a
free cup of coffee and a free copy of The Hometown News at the Stuart K Mart
garden center every Saturday morning!