Originally Posted by Rete (Post 12333465)

My sister has been on the road since 5 am this morning and is still quite a ways from Route 10 in the Panhandle. She is traveling 75 and lives well above Miami. If memory serves, Naples to South Beach was approximately 1-1/2 hours and then Naples to Ft. Myers was about 40 minutes. So a good 2 hours north of Miami on the east coast.

Originally Posted by Pollyana (Post 12333174)

Working in disaster management, we spend our lives watching the development of weather systems worldwide, and read reports in the destruction from numerous sources.

Frequent discussions at work have repeatedly brought up the fact that huge storms, of the ilk of Harvey and Irma are becoming more common.
We've had major shifts to the weather patterns in Australia over the last couple of years - NSW and Victoria being battered with the type of frequent storms that Queensland used to get. The storms are larger and more frequent.
When it comes to the UK even, there have been shifts in the severity of storms there - more serious ones are far more common than when I was growing up there.
And the US has definitely come in for more serious storms of all kinds - hurricanes, snow, whatever. The patterns have shifted worldwide and the severity of the storms that occur is growing.

Originally Posted by Leslie (Post 12333681)

It seems to me that the increased frequency in severe storms making landfall has steadily increased since the 1990s. That may just be my perception. We're going to have to rethink the notion of heavily populated urban areas in certain coastal areas unless we just want to keep doing this every year.

Originally Posted by RICH (Post 12333683)

Google & waze just told me Tampa to Tallahassee 4.5 hours right now, which is what it was last time I went a few years ago. Surprised. Maybe not realistic. But they both Avoid i75. Not that I am planning on going anywhere yet.

Originally Posted by carcajou (Post 12333713)

If you are in Tampa, on current forecast models should be OK. Tampa is vulnerable in a direct hit but it it hits South Florida or the Ft Myers area first it will degrade significantly and the impact on the Tampa Bay area will be inconvenience and some minor flooding, not catastrophe.

Georgia, same - hurricanes die out quickly over land. Coastal Georgia has had some direct strikes in the past but this one will not bring catastrophic conditions there.

Originally Posted by anotherlimey (Post 12333742)

I haven't left yet... we got back off vacation Monday and have spent all our free time putting up shutters and clearing up the garden.

Almost done. I'm exhausted. I'll probably nap for a few hours and then we will leave.

Originally Posted by carcajou (Post 12333713)

If you are in Tampa, on current forecast models should be OK. Tampa is vulnerable in a direct hit but it it hits South Florida or the Ft Myers area first it will degrade significantly and the impact on the Tampa Bay area will be inconvenience and some minor flooding, not catastrophe.

Georgia, same - hurricanes die out quickly over land. Coastal Georgia has had some direct strikes in the past but this one will not bring catastrophic conditions there.

Originally Posted by zzrmark (Post 12333723)

It is also worth noting that, unless Irma goes up the Gulf, we few on the Gulf coast will not get the 'dirty' side so whilst it could get grim it'll be much worse for those on the East side of the eye (currently the dirty side is on the North side whilst Irma heads East to West).

I am fully expecting to be chainsawing big bits of oak tree out of my roof if the wind speeds get above 50mph. One of the old trees 50 yards down the lane dropped a 25 foot long limb on the lane this morning somewhere between 6am and 7am (the time between the pair of us departing for work), zero wind or rain. These old oaks are dropping branches all the time here they don't need to wait for a hurricane ...

Originally Posted by Leslie (Post 12333681)

It seems to me that the increased frequency in severe storms making landfall has steadily increased since the 1990s. That may just be my perception.