mvweebles
Guru
- Joined
- Mar 21, 2019
- Messages
- 7,730
- Location
- United States
- Vessel Name
- Weebles
- Vessel Make
- 1970 Willard 36 Trawler
As a resident of Florida for 17 years; one that has evacuated three times to escape a hurricane; and as a re-inspired cruiser, I was particularly struck by Hurricane Otis.
We moved to Florida from San Francisco. My wife likes to say she'll take an Earthquake over a Hurricane anyday. It's instant, no notice. No pre-drama. I see her point - my favorite description of a hurricane is it being compared to being stalked by a homocidal turtle. It can be days of agony pinning hopes on strands of spaghetti.
Otis was different. It was not forecast as a hurricane, but rather a tropical storm. It was less than a day before it made landfall that a hurricane hunter plane flew into the storm and found it was rapidly intensifying - faster than almost any hurricane had ever intensified before.
A hurricane watch was issued 3pm Monday; and updated to a Warning at 3AM Tuesday. Tuesday morning, Otis was named as a likely Cat 1. At 2PM on Tuesday, it was announced that Otis would hit that night as a Cat 5. 36-hours from warning to Cat 5. What the hell do you do???? Not quite a homocidal gazelle, but definitely not a turtle.
For me and cruising, I have always counted on being able to have time to maneuver around really bad weather. On one had, I certainly would avoid anything resembling a tropical storm/depression. But still, the intensification is sobering. Definitely tells me to respect the hurricane seasons.
Peter
https://yaleclimateconnections.org/...ategory-5-hurricane-otis-devastates-acapulco/
We moved to Florida from San Francisco. My wife likes to say she'll take an Earthquake over a Hurricane anyday. It's instant, no notice. No pre-drama. I see her point - my favorite description of a hurricane is it being compared to being stalked by a homocidal turtle. It can be days of agony pinning hopes on strands of spaghetti.
Otis was different. It was not forecast as a hurricane, but rather a tropical storm. It was less than a day before it made landfall that a hurricane hunter plane flew into the storm and found it was rapidly intensifying - faster than almost any hurricane had ever intensified before.
A hurricane watch was issued 3pm Monday; and updated to a Warning at 3AM Tuesday. Tuesday morning, Otis was named as a likely Cat 1. At 2PM on Tuesday, it was announced that Otis would hit that night as a Cat 5. 36-hours from warning to Cat 5. What the hell do you do???? Not quite a homocidal gazelle, but definitely not a turtle.
For me and cruising, I have always counted on being able to have time to maneuver around really bad weather. On one had, I certainly would avoid anything resembling a tropical storm/depression. But still, the intensification is sobering. Definitely tells me to respect the hurricane seasons.
Peter
https://yaleclimateconnections.org/...ategory-5-hurricane-otis-devastates-acapulco/
Last edited: