Archive for November, 2009

A nice shot of tonight’s moon from the vantage point of the Canon.

We are currently liquidating the stock that we have of the “Superstorms of 2008″ DVD. The sale price is $11.00/shipped. This will make a great holiday gift for the weather enthusiast and storm chaser!

Superstorms of 2008 displays an awesome year of severe weather in many forms. From the “Super Tuesday” tornado outbreak to Hurricane Ike and Gustav, storm chasers Matt Grantham and Brett Adair were on the scene to capture these significant events to impact the United States. This action packed DVD will include footage from the following events:

• Lake Village, Arkansas “Super Tuesday” 2/5/2008
• Earle, Arkansas (EF-3) 5/2/2008
• Kansas/Oklahoma May Outbreak 5/22-5/24/2008
• Hurricane Gustav (Gulfport, MS) 9/1/2008
• Hurricane Ike (Beaumont, TX and Lake Charles, LA) 9/13-9/14/2008
• MUCH MORE!

This DVD is a must for spotters, meteorologists, and weather enthusiasts alike! Superstorms of 2008 displays amazing storm structure shots, lightning, tornadoes, wall clouds, storm surge, EXTREME winds, and much more!

DVD is 67 minutes Long

Ida came on shore this morning as a minimal tropical storm at Dauphin Island. We intercepted this system and the outer bands were the real story. Myself, Eric Parker, and meteorologist David Neal traveled the Alabama and Florida coastline in search of some dramatic video and locations to do live shots. Areas included in the video include: Alabama Point; Fort Morgan, AL; Orange Beach, AL; Pensacola, FL; and Perdido Key, FL.

I will post a full recap of the events and a timeline of locations and conditions felt later today. Now, time to get ready to trek back toward home.

Ida is now a category 2 hurricane with winds of 100 mph that have been found my Air Force Reconnaissance aircraft. Ida is over 80+ F degree water and is expected to have continual strengthening throughout the day. The NHC peaks the intensity of the storm at 85KT, but I expect a 100KT hurricane by 5pm.

Here is an image of the current Hi-res visible satellite. Striations are noted in the banding.

This looks like a rapidly intensifying system to me at this point. We will continue to monitor the progression of this system and will be deploying within the next few hours. Stay with the Alabama Storm Trackers for later updates.

TROPICAL STORM IDA ADVISORY NUMBER 15
NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL AL112009
1000 PM EST SAT NOV 07 2009

…IDA MOVING NORTH-NORTHWESTWARD STILL AS A TROPICAL STORM…

A HURRICANE WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR THE YUCATAN PENINSULA OF
MEXICO FROM TULUM TO CABO CATOCHE. A HURRICANE WATCH MEANS THAT
HURRICANE CONDITIONS ARE POSSIBLE WITHIN THE WATCH AREA…GENERALLY
WITHIN 36 HOURS.

A TROPICAL STORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR GRAND CAYMAN ISLAND.

A TROPICAL STORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR THE YUCATAN PENINSULA
OF MEXICO FROM PUNTA ALLEN NORTHWARD TO SAN FELIPE. A TROPICAL
STORM WARNING MEANS THAT TROPICAL STORM CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED
WITHIN THE WARNING AREA…GENERALLY WITHIN 24 HOURS.

A TROPICAL STORM WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR THE CUBAN PROVINCE OF
PINAR DEL RIO.

A TROPICAL STORM WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR THE ISLE OF YOUTH.

FOR STORM INFORMATION SPECIFIC TO YOUR AREA…PLEASE MONITOR
PRODUCTS ISSUED BY YOUR NATIONAL METEOROLOGICAL SERVICE.

AT 1000 PM EST…0300 UTC…THE CENTER OF TROPICAL STORM IDA WAS
LOCATED NEAR LATITUDE 20.1 NORTH…LONGITUDE 84.6 WEST OR ABOUT 150
MILES…245 KM…EAST OF COZUMEL MEXICO AND ABOUT 110 MILES…180 KM
…SOUTH OF THE WESTERN TIP OF CUBA.

IDA IS MOVING TOWARD THE NORTH-NORTHWEST NEAR 12 MPH…19 KM/HR…
AND THIS GENERAL HEADING WITH AN INCREASE IN FORWARD SPEED IS
EXPECTED OVER THE NEXT 48 HOURS. ON THE FORECAST TRACK…IDA IS
EXPECTED TO MOVE THROUGH THE YUCATAN CHANNEL AND INTO THE
SOUTHEASTERN GULF OF MEXICO ON SUNDAY.

MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS ARE NEAR 70 MPH…110 KM/HR…WITH HIGHER
GUSTS. IDA IS FORECAST TO BECOME A HURRICANE LATER TONIGHT OR ON
SUNDAY.

TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 140 MILES…220 KM
FROM THE CENTER. NOAA BUOY 42056 IN THE NORTHWESTERN CARIBBEAN SEA
RECENTLY REPORTED A 1-MINUTE SUSTAINED WIND OF 60 MPH…97 KM/HR.

ESTIMATED MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE IS 990 MB…29.23 INCHES.

IDA IS EXPECTED TO PRODUCE TOTAL RAIN ACCUMULATIONS OF 3 TO 5 INCHES
OVER PORTIONS OF THE YUCATAN PENINSULA AND WESTERN CUBA…WITH
POSSIBLE ISOLATED MAXIMUM AMOUNTS OF 10 INCHES. RAINFALL AMOUNTS
OF 1 TO 2 INCHES ARE ALSO POSSIBLE ACROSS THE CAYMAN ISLANDS.

…SUMMARY OF 1000 PM EST INFORMATION…
LOCATION…20.1N 84.6W
MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS…70 MPH
PRESENT MOVEMENT…NORTH-NORTHWEST OR 340 DEGREES AT 12 MPH
MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE…990 MB

AN INTERMEDIATE ADVISORY WILL BE ISSUED BY THE NATIONAL HURRICANE
CENTER AT 100 AM EST FOLLOWED BY THE NEXT COMPLETE ADVISORY AT 400
AM EST.