Hi everybody and welcome. Well the main topic of concern as of this writing is hurricane Isabel. Isabel is a storm that will probably be in the history books. I have been following this storm for several days and I never seen a storm stay on such a direct course toward the United States. The storm is now a category 5 storm and it is churning toward the west. This is the first category 5 storm to form in the Atlantic Basin since 1998. In 1998 hurricane Mitch started in the Caribbean and reached maximum wind speeds of near 190 mph. Mitch then took a path around the Yucatan and then re entered the Gulf of Mexico as a tropical storm and came across the state. The storm exited the state near Port St. Lucie with 60-mph winds and very heavy rains. What makes Isabel so different is that it has been trapped under a high-pressure ridge with a low-pressure system just to the west of it. This is a similar scenario that occurred with hurricane Andrew. This has allowed the storm to rapidly intensify and maintain its intensity for a very long time. Hurricanes generally do not maintain their top speed for more then 48 – 72 hours. As Isabel travels over the same area that Fabian did last week, she should start a slow weakening trend as least for the time being. This is due to the cool wake that Fabian left behind. She could again re-intensify as she moves over the very warm waters near the Gulf Stream.
With the potential threat of Isabel, Lake Okeechobee is also an area of concern. The lake is now just under 17 feet and it is still rising due to all the heavy rains that have occurred recently. If you remember in 1928 a major hurricane ran right over Lake Okeechobee and dumped the water over the dikes killing thousands of people. The winds in that storm were 150 mph. The dikes have since been made much larger but have actually never been tested in a real life situation. With a possible threat of heavy rains, it is very important for water managers to get the lake level as low as possible before Isabel or any storm threatens our area. This is done by doing large discharges through the dams into the St. Lucie River.
Isabel started out as a cluster of thunderstorms that emerged from the coast of Africa. These thunderstorms then began to thrive from the warm ocean temperatures and began to spin up with the near perfect atmospheric conditions. This storm is a classic Cape Verde hurricane. These storms are named as such because they form near a small island chain just off the coast of Africa called the Cape Verde Islands. Many of the most intense hurricanes on record have formed in this area. Many do not survive the long track across the Atlantic.
With 160-mph winds and a future track that is still somewhat uncertain, Isabel will be a storm that many people will remember.
Now, on to the Time Capsule…
September l9, l947 -- Franklin Co., Apalachicola -- A Tornado, spawned on the edge of a hurricane making landfall near New Orleans, destroyed 27 homes and damaged 3l, killing two people and injuring l00.
September l9, l959 -- afternoon -- Alachua Co., High Springs -- Lightning killed 53 hogs that took shelter under a tree in a pasture.
September 20, l937 -- St. Johns Co. -- A Tornado, spawned by a tropical storm, destroyed a barn near St. Johns River.
September 20, 1969 -- Franklin Co., Carrabelle -- A tornado destroyed a house trailer, ballpark bleachers, fences, lights, and downed trees and power lines. Minor injuries.
September 20-23, l969 -- northwest Florida -- Flooding -- Heavy rain over several days brought extensive flooding to the Apalachicola river at Quincy, Havana, and Blounstown; and much of Franklin, Gadsden, Leon, Calhoun and Quincy Counties. Quincy reported 18.41" of rain, Havana 23.42", and Blountstown 10.41". Several funnel clouds and waterspouts were reported from northwest Florida to the Keys on the 22nd and 23rd.
September 20, l994 -- Palm Beach Co., Pahokee -- Eleven players and an assistant coach of the Pahokee Middle/Senior High School football team were hospitalized after lightning struck as they left a practice field.
September 21, l948 -- south Florida -- Hurricane - Struck near Everglades City in the l0, 000 island area, then moved northeast through Florida to emerge into the Atlantic near Jupiter. Lowest barometric pressure was 28.44 inches, and top winds were l22 mph. Three people were killed. A Tornado, spawned by this hurricane, unroofed a small farmhouse and destroyed another near Homestead in Dade Co. A truck was tumbled like a ball.
September 21, l983 -- Broward Co., Tamarac -- Lightning killed l construction worker on a scaffold and injured two.
September 22-23, l947 -- west central/northeast Florida -- A Tropical Storm spawned three tornadoes in Hillsborough County on the afternoon and evening of the 22nd. One person was injured in Seffner. Eight more tornadoes hit Marion and Duval Counties on the morning of the 23rd. One person was injured at Jacksonville Beach.
September 22, l954 -- Broward Co., Hollywood -- Tornado carried a parked car l00 ft and damaged five small homes, injuring five. A tornado/waterspout was reported at Merritt Island in Brevard County.
September 22-23, l975 --Panhandle & Northwest Florida --Hurricane Eloise - made landfall in the Panhandle with wind gusts to l55 mph at Panama City. Tides of six to l2 ft extended eastward to Port St. Joe, and tides two to 3 ft above normal were observed as far south as Tampa and Naples. The highest reported rainfall was l3 inches at Eglin AFB. Rainfall elsewhere to the west of the Apalachicola River ranged from four to 8 inches. Damage in northwest Florida was estimated at $l50 million. One person died of a heart attack in a public shelter at Ft. Walton Beach. About 20,000 people were evacuated in advance. Two weak tornadoes and several waterspouts were reported in the Panhandle causing no serious injuries.
September 23, 1995 -- Volusia Co., Daytona Beach -- Two men were struck by a lone lightning bolt prior to the onset of heavy rain. Both men were hospitalized in critical condition. One of the two, a 28-year-old tourist from Canada, died three days later.
September 24, l956 --Panhandle-northwest Florida -- Hurricane Flossy -- Struck the Ft. Walton Beach Area with peak winds of 98 mph and storm surge of 6 ft, killing 15. Several tornadoes were spawned by Flossy: -- Gulf Co. -- Tornado unroofed a house and destroyed a church. Many other buildings were damaged. --Taylor/Madison Cos. -- Tornado destroyed l home and damaged several more. It destroyed a tobacco barn and threw two cars from the road. Three other weak tornadoes were reported in Suwanee Co.
September 24, l989 -- Duval Co., Jacksonville -- Flash Flood -- Localized heavy rain of up to 11" caused flooding in downtown Jacksonville. Two motorists died when their vehicles were swept into storm ditches.
September 24, l994 -- Brevard Co., Palm Bay -- Lightning -- A large vendor's tent was struck by lightning injuring seven of the l50 persons inside, including two children. The injured were treated and released at a hospital. A few minutes later a wind gust of 40 mph blew the tent down causing minor injuries to several people and damaging most of the merchandise in the tent.
September 25, l960 -- Palm Beach Co., W. Palm Beach -- Lightning killed l person.
September 26, l953 -- northwest Florida -- The center of Hurricane Florence hit the northwest Florida coast between Valparaiso and Panama City near midday with wind gusts of 90 mph and heavy rainfall. The Pensacola Weather Bureau Office reported winds of up to 75 mph on the 26th. The storm passed inland over a sparsely settled area of Florida and this probably accounts for the rather small amount of damage. In Franklin and Okaloosa Counties the Red Cross estimated that 273 homes were destroyed, l45 other buildings damaged, and three destroyed. A fishing trawler, the "Miss Tampa" was reported missing in the storm's wake.
September 26, l966 -- St. Johns Co., Inlet -- Lightning killed one person.
September 26, l982 - - Okeechobee Co., Basinger, A tornado, spawned by a low pressure system, touched down and destroyed several mobile homes. Some parts were twisted around treetops as high as 20 feet. A 30-ft tank full of molasses was torn from its stand and thrown l00 feet. A 53-year-old woman was killed and seven were injured in a mobile park. Two other tornadoes were reported in the area.
That’s all for this weeks Time Capsule. I hope you enjoyed it. I love to
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