zzrmark

Flippin' marvellous, this monster's track is getting closer to us with every NOAA advisory update. We are now just 10 miles west of the projected cone centre-line and under a Hurricane warning for a Cat 2 gusting 125mph. The county's evacuation Zone A is now under mandatory order, effective a few hours back, eta Sunday midnight.... House pretty much boarded up, tick, tock ,tick, tock...

anotherlimey

Is Ray around? He used to tell everyone Tampa never experienced a hurricane since he moved in.

BEVS

He's on the BE Facebook as well as here. Hardly posts on there or on here.

carcajou

As of this morning, it has wobbled to the west a little bit, which is a pretty significant wobble. On current trajectory Ft Myers/Naples will get a direct hit but most of Miami will get minor hurricane conditions (Category 2 or less) though South Dade may feel conditions stronger than that.

It can of course wobble back, or wobble again to the West and miss Southwest Florida entirely.

RICH

16 mph is the speed at which the hurricane is approaching so there

carcajou

Looking at Gas Buddy and seeing the shortage this morning. If you are in Florida, best thing you can do - if you are in an evacuation zone, evacuate. IF YOU ARE NOT IN THE PATH OF THE STORM AND NOT IN AN EVACUATION ZONE, DON'T EVACUATE.

People are panicking. I have an acquaintance in north Florida, not in an evacuation zone, not in a place projected to get serious hurricane conditions, who evacuated with his family to Ft Walton Beach this morning. That's crazy, nothing but panic, and takes gasoline and a hotel room from someone evacuating from the Keys, Ft Myers or Miami who really needs it right now.

Ft Walton Beach - if Irma wobbles a slight bit west, and it's northern turn is a bit more northwesterly, guess what? Hurricanes frequently tend to turn north once they get into the Gulf of Mexico - they will often hit that Ft Walton Beach-New Orleans stretch of coast after going through southern Florida.

If you are evacuating go north and inland, not to another low-lying coastal area in hurricane alley.

uk_grenada

Branson and his mega yacht are here, collecting aid for the usvi and materials to repair his island...

Jerseygirl

Back to cat 5...wind gusts of 195 mph.

TimFountain

I've never, ever understood why anyone would want to live in Florida. It's a gator-filled, flat, stinky, hot, sweaty armpit. Just say no. Still after Irma maybe a few people will re-evaluate their decision to live in hurricane alley....

zzrmark

^^^wot 'e said!
But we will be back. We're getting out to SC.

carcajou

But if you move to Orlando, you will have more time with the kids, can go to Disney every afternoon and all your friends from the UK will visit all the time.

The thing I love most about Florida is the people. Salt of the earth! No loonies, crazies, hotheads, phonies, or grifters in the lot. The retirees, especially, are kind and gentle souls - a real pleasure to be around.

carcajou

Latest "cone of probability" forecast says the worst will miss Palm Beach County - sparing Rush, Trump, and the Kennedys.

carcajou

If you are in Ft Myers/Naples - don't hunker down for this one. Go.

Use the hotel booking aggregation sites - a quick look shows nothing available in Orlando, Gainesville, Lake City, or most of southern Georgia or southern Alabama (including Montgomery - see my whinge earlier about people evacuating, who don't need to) - so you may have to drive to Atlanta. There are still rooms available there, and if you leave now you will still beat out the storm.

I even think it is better to just drive north and stop at a service plaza somewhere in Georgia, if you can't get a room, than to stay in Ft Myers/Naples. You will find being in your car at a service plaza a zillion times more preferable to hunkering down in the middle part of a Category 5 hurricane.

anotherlimey

You've spent too much time in Whorelando.

Leslie

I was wondering if you would stay or go. Have you left yet?