2 tropical storms (Arlene, Cindy) and 1 hurricane (Dennis) to kick off the season in the US. Arlene hit the Panhandle last month. Cindy is flooding the streets of Louisiana and Mississippi as we speak. Dennis, on the other hand, is gathering strength and on his way. NEW YORK, June 30 - The Atlantic hurricane season, which officially spans from June 1 to Nov. 20, is now underway, and forecasters are predicting the 2005 season to be very active, with 15 named tropical storms and eight hurricanes..................................
Dennis the menace? Hurricane Dennis strengthening as it passes Jamaica, heading for Cuba By STEVENSON JACOBS MORANT BAY, Jamaica (AP) - Ten-foot (three-meter) waves crashed to shore and hundreds of islanders fled flooded homes for shelters Thursday as Hurricane Dennis lashed Caribbean coastlines with winds whipped up to 115 mph (184 kph). The first hurricane of the season threatened to get even stronger as it makes a beeline for Cuba and then landfall in the Gulf of Mexico projected Sunday or Monday, raising fears oil supplies will be disrupted by the fourth storm in as many weeks. Dennis is a ``dangerous hurricane'' that looks to strengthen to near 130 mph (208 kph) within 12 hours, the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami warned. It should pass over central Cuba within 24 hours, it said. Dennis uprooted trees and flooded homes in southern Haiti and swept away a car in Jamaica, readying for a direct strike. Thunderstorms covered all of the Dominican Republic and southern Haiti. Cayman Islands and Cuba also were under hurricane warnings, including the U.S. detention camp holding some 520 terror suspects in Guantanamo Bay. The southern Florida Keys went on hurricane warning Thursday afternoon and ordered tourists to evacuate, and the southern Florida peninsula was on tropical storm watch, expecting stormy conditions within 36 hours. Rivers burst their banks in dangerously deforested Haiti, where wind gusts uprooted a palm tree and flung it into a mud hut, injuring two people who were hospitalized in southern Les Cayes town. In Jamaica, where a man narrowly escaped from a car swept away by fast-moving floodwaters Wednesday night, Prime Minister Percival Patterson urged people in low-lying areas to evacuate. ``Let us all work together in unity so that we will be spared the worst,'' he said in a national radio broadcast. But only about 1,000 of the 2.6 million people were in shelters late afternoon, when local forecasters said the eye of the storm was passing 50 miles (80 kilometers) north of Port Antonio, on Jamaica's northeast coast. Dennis strengthened into a hurricane Wednesday and became a Category 3 storm Thursday afternoon, becoming the third storm to threaten petroleum output in the Gulf of Mexico. Forecasters at the U.S. Hurricane Center in Miami said the storm could strike the United States anywhere from Florida to Louisiana on Sunday or Monday. Private forecaster AccuWeather put the storm right into U.S. Gulf of Mexico oil and gas producing facilities. Oil futures rose sharply Wednesday on concerns about the storm, but were down nearly US$2 Thursday morning, at $59.35 a barrel, as a series of terrorist blasts in London led investors to abandon riskier investments. Dennis came right behind Tropical Storm Cindy, which made landfall late Tuesday in Louisiana and hindered oil production and refining. On Thursday, remnants of Cindy dumped heavy rain in parts of the Carolinas, prompting flash flood and tornado watches. ``It is possible that Dennis may become a major hurricane,'' the U.S. National Hurricane Center warned from Miami ...........................
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=10000086&sid=aAS9sIovko_0&refer=latin_america Florida Braces for Hurricane Dennis's 105 Mph Winds (Update1) July 7 (Bloomberg) -- Residents of southern Florida began bracing for their first hurricane of the season as a strengthening Dennis, packing winds of 105 mph, moved toward Jamaica on a path that would reach the Keys by the weekend. Dennis may intensify to a so-called major hurricane, meaning it will have winds stronger than 111 mph (179 kph) by the time it reaches Florida. That would make it a Category 3 storm, capable of destroying mobile homes and forcing the evacuation of low-lying areas within several blocks of the shoreline. A storm-weary southern U.S., particularly Florida, is still recovering and rebuilding after a devastating storm season last year. A record four hurricanes -- Charley, Frances, Ivan and Jeanne -- hit land in the state and caused almost $23 billion in property damage. ``Dennis is looking more and more ominous as the forecasts come in,'' said Guy Gleichmann, president of United Strategic Investors Group, an equity and futures brokerage firm in Hollywood, Florida. ``There are some structures still under repair from Ivan. It's like hitting a wounded animal.'' Dennis was about 65 miles (105 kilometers) northeast of Kingston, Jamaica, as of 2 p.m. New York time and about 170 miles south of Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, heading northwest at about 15 mph, forecasters said. Hurricane-force winds extend as far as 45 miles from the center and tropical-storm force winds as far as 140 miles. Evacuations Oil companies are evacuating rigs and production platforms in the Gulf of Mexico east of a line from Cameron, Louisiana, located 80 miles east of the Texas border. Transocean Inc., the world's largest offshore oil and natural-gas driller, said it is evacuating 325 workers from four rigs in the Gulf of Mexico as Hurricane Dennis approaches. Royal Dutch/Shell Group, Apache Corp. and Andarko Petroleum Corp. also announced they would evacuate workers from their Gulf operations. The center's five-day forecast shows Dennis's center traveling a path over eastern Jamaica, western Cuba and into the Gulf toward Louisiana and Alabama by July 9. The storm may make landfall in the Florida Panhandle between July 10 and 11. ``This is way early to be hit by these storms,'' Gleichmann said in a telephone interview. ``There are plenty of other storms to worry about.'' ........................... Florida Keys A hurricane watch is in effect for all of the Florida Keys from Ocean Reef south and Florida Bay, while a tropical storm watch was issued for all of southern Florida south of Golden Beach on the East Coast and south of Bonita Beach on the West Coast, the Miami-based center said in an advisory. Hurricane warnings mean that winds of more than 73 mph are expected within the next 24 hours, and a watch indicates winds of that speed are possible within 36 hours. Tropical storm warnings mean that winds of 39 mph to 72 mph are expected within the next day, while a watch indicates winds of that speed are possible in 36 hours. Florida has partially activated its state emergency operation center, with some support offices such as public information, transportation and law enforcement up and running, said Mike Stone, a spokesman for the Florida Emergency Management Division. The state center is conducting conference calls to brief county officials on preparations, he said. Panhandle Prepares ``Our biggest issue is that we want Floridians in the Keys and along the entire Gulf Coast to monitor this storm closely,'' Stone said in an interview. He said Panhandle residents should prepare today and tomorrow because Dennis may hit their area on Sunday. Monroe County, which includes the Florida Keys, issued a voluntary evacuation order for nonresidents and visitors and will likely order the evacuation of mobile homes tonight, Stone said. The Red Cross has put dozens of volunteers on stand-by to go into regions affected by the storm and open shelters along evacuation routes, said Laura Howe, southeastern regional spokeswoman for the agency. Their focus is on the Florida Panhandle and central Gulf Coast, she said. The Red Cross, which spent $94 million on hurricane relief last year, is moving mobile food trucks into areas that could be affected, she said. Shuttle Launch ``We've been prepared for an active season,'' Howe said today in an interview from Birmingham, Alabama. ``We learned a lot last year.'' The National Aeronautics and Space Administration said today that Dennis wasn't affecting plans for the July 13 launch of the space shuttle Discovery from the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral. Hurricane warnings are also in effect for all of Jamaica and the Cayman Islands, the southwestern peninsula of Haiti, and parts of central and eastern Cuba. Air Jamaica canceled all of its flights to and from Jamaica today because of the storm, the company said in a statement. Dennis is currently a Category 2 storm on the five-tier Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale, meaning it has winds of 96 mph to 110 mph. Such storms are capable of producing a storm surge of as much as 6 feet above normal and can cause coastal flooding and damage to trees, piers and unanchored mobile homes. Maximum sustained winds have increased to near 110 mph, meaning it is just below the threshold of turning into a Category 3 storm. On Cindy's Heels Dennis follows closely behind Tropical Storm Cindy, which brought rain and wind to the U.S. coast of the Gulf of Mexico. Cindy downed trees and power lines, cutting power to 318,000, and forced oil and gas companies to evacuate platforms and rigs. Dennis is the fourth named storm of the Atlantic Ocean hurricane season, its earliest start ever. Dennis became a Category 1 hurricane yesterday as winds climbed to about 85 mph from about 70 mph. ``If Dennis remains mostly over water it could easily strengthen more than indicated here,'' Knabb and Pasch wrote in a statement.
It's a good thing I got to see Key West last weekend. If the eye comes anywhere near the island, lots of interesting structures will be destroyed. What a shame that would be. For me, if the eye comes close to SWFL, I'll be busy putting up the plywood and bringing in the plants around the house on Saturday morning.
We'll be seeing those lines at Home Depot and Loews real soon then. It's passing over Havana alright, now a Category 4 hurricane. A still intensifying Dennis pounds central and eastern Cuba http://www.weather.com/newscenter/tropical/ 8:29 a.m. ET Fri.,Jul.8,2005
Lucky bastard. But word of caution, you won't know for sure where it's gonna hit until it hits. I was telling jokes about Frances last year a couple of hours before it supposed to hit, let's just say somewhere not too close to me, and then it took a wicked turn. Suffice to say my jokes didn't seem funny any more. Anyway, back to business. Now Dennis is almost a Category 5. Hurricane Dennis crashes ashore in Cuba, on track for US coast 07.08.2005, 04:10 PM http://www.forbes.com/work/feeds/afx/2005/07/08/afx2130134.html HAVANA, (AFX) - Powerful Hurricane Dennis crashed ashore in central Cuba Friday packing winds of 240 km/h (149 mph) and unleashing pounding rains, Cuban officials said. 'It just made landfall at 1:00 pm (1700 GMT) near (the central province of) Cienfuegos,' the Cuban Meteorological Institute chief Jose Rubiera reported. 'It is a very strong Category Four, almost a Category Five' the strongest level on the Saffir-Simpson scale, he added. Rubiera said the city of Cienfuegos would be lashed and that Cienfuegos Bay could be hit by a storm surge of five meters (15 feet). The monster storm was expected to cross Cuba, population 11 million, over central provinces including La Habana -- where the capital of Havana is located -- Cienfuegos, Matanzas, Villa Clara and Sancti Spiritus. .......................
The Keys are being evacuated. Residents evacuate Florida's southernmost city as hurricane Dennis nears 07.08.2005, 02:56 PM http://www.forbes.com/home/feeds/afx/2005/07/08/afx2130107.html MIAMI (AFX) - Thousands of residents have evacuated Key West, Florida's southernmost city, and others boarded up their homes in anticipation of a potentially devastating hit by Hurricane Dennis. Authorities told residents to leave Key West and neighboring areas, and ordered the evacuation of visitors throughout the Florida Keys, a vulnerable chain of islands linked to the mainland by a series of bridges and a single road. Thousands of people headed north, but the evacuation was slowed as squalls propelled by the powerful category four hurricane already caused dangerous storm conditions. Most hotels, gas stations and stores in Key West shut down as the exodus got under way. Forecasters at the Miami-based National Hurricane Center (NHC) warned that Dennis could pass dangerously close to Key West Saturday morning on its way to the Gulf of Mexico, where almost 70 oil platforms and rigs have been evacuated. Fears that the hurricane could damage the offshore installations caused world oil prices to rebound, with light sweet crude for delivery in August rising 88 cents to 61.61 dollars per barrel in electronic deals in New York. At 1500 GMT Friday, the center of the storm was located off Cuba's southeastern coast, 405 kilometers (250 miles) south-southeast of Key West. Forecasters said the storm was expected to cross Cuba today, losing some steam but gathering strength again when it emerges over the straits of Florida and the southeastern Gulf of Mexico in the evening. Weather experts warned that Dennis, already a 'dangerous' hurricane continued to get organized, leading to fears it could reach category five, the maximum intensity. The crew of a hurricane hunter plane that flew into the storm measured a surface wind of more than 240 kilometers (150 miles) per hour with higher gusts. Florida governor Jeb Bush on Thursday declared a state of emergency, warning that Hurricane Dennis could cause a 'major disaster' in the southeastern US state that was pummeled by four such storms last year. He warned that there was 'an immediate danger to the lives and property of the residents of those communities.' .............................
In a related story, close to 15% of oil production has been shut donw in the Gulf. Petroleum production cut as Dennis approaches U.S. http://www.tuscaloosanews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050708/APF/507080885 By ALAN SAYRE AP Business Writer July 08. 2005 2:39PM Not yet over oil production cuts caused by Tropical Storm Cindy, the Gulf of Mexico saw new reductions Friday as petroleum companies evacuated and shut off more production platforms in the face of Hurricane Dennis. According to a survey of oil companies by the U.S. Minerals Management Service, which manages offshore leases, 81 production platforms had been evaucated, up from 54 evacuations on Wednesday. The daily amount of oil production lost increased more than fourfold - just under 47,957 barrels on Wednesday to about 220,326 barrels on Thursday. Since platforms were evacuated in advance of Cindy, 532,456 barrels of Gulf oil has been kept from market. The Gulf's daily oil producton is about 1.5 million barrels. With oil prices above $60 a barrel, traders have been keeping a close eye on Dennis - not only because of short production outages, but the possibility of long-term damage such as occurred last fall when Hurricane Ivan roared through the Gulf. Almost 44 million barrels of oil production were lost because of Ivan between September 2004 and February 2005. At the height of the damage and evacuations, 41 percent of the normal daily oil output from the Gulf was cut off. On Thursday, producers lost just over 1 billion cubic feet of natural gas production because of the evacuations, about 10 percent of the normal daily output in the Gulf. This week, the MMS said 2.7 billion cubic feet of gas have been kept from market because of the storms. The Gulf produces 3.6 trillion cubic feet of gas yearly. Production outages from Ivan resulted in a decline of 172 billion cubic feet. Oil companies also were evacuating drilling rigs in increasing numbers as Dennis approached. By Friday, according to the MMS, 35 rigs had been evacuated, up from 15 on Thursday. ............................
And in another related story, oil fell. Oil Falls on Signs Hurricane to Miss Most U.S. Gulf Platforms http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=10000103&sid=aFjVh3sGoyQY&refer=us July 8 (Bloomberg) 16:49 -- Crude oil fell, after flirting with a record, on speculation that Hurricane Dennis might miss the majority of oil rigs and platforms in the Gulf of Mexico. Dennis was upgraded yesterday to a Category 4 storm on the five-step Saffir-Simpson scale, with maximum sustained winds close to 145 miles (235 kilometers) per hour at 2 p.m. Miami time today, the National Hurricane Center reported. The storm is moving toward the border of Florida and Alabama. Oil companies have evacuated workers and shipping has been disrupted. ``There is a realization dawning that this storm will have to be very substantial to have a major effect on production,'' said Jim Steel, director of commodity research at Refco Inc. in New York. ``Prices have already risen a great deal in anticipation of the storm.'' Crude oil for August delivery fell $1.10, or 1.8 percent, to $59.63 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Futures touched a record $62.10 a barrel yesterday before plunging after terrorist attacks in London. Oil is up 1.5 percent this week and 48 percent from a year ago. In London, the August Brent crude-oil futures contract fell $1.08, or 1.8 percent, to $58.20 a barrel on the International Petroleum Exchange. Brent touched $60.70 a barrel yesterday, the highest since the contract was introduced in 1988. ``We will just have to wait and see what track it takes,'' said Justin Fohsz, a broker at Starsupply Petroleum Inc. in Englewood, New Jersey. ``The outcome all depends on the course it takes.'' Hurricane Ivan Prices surged in early trading on concern that Dennis would mimic Hurricane Ivan, which pulled platforms from moorings and destroyed pipelines last September. States along the Gulf receive more than half of U.S. oil imports and the region also is the source of 30 percent of the country's oil output, according to the Minerals Management Service. ``There is plenty of product sitting around in storage, so even if Louisiana is hit by the storm there will be no problem with supply,'' said Michael Fitzpatrick, vice president of risk management with Fimat USA in New York. ``With prices so high refiners feel this is a good time to sell.'' Gasoline for August delivery rose 4.22 cents, or 2.3 percent, to close at $1.7634 a gallon in New York. Prices touched $1.86 during the session, the highest since the contract was introduced in 1984. Futures are up 33 percent from a year ago. Pump prices for regular-grade gasoline rose 1.3 cents to an average $2.234 a gallon yesterday, according to the AAA. Prices touched a record $2.276 a gallon on April 11 and are 18 percent higher than a year ago. The average retail price for diesel rose 0.8 cent to a record $2.404 a gallon. Heating oil for August delivery fell 5.68 cents, or 3.2 percent, to $1.7181 a gallon in New York. Prices touched $1.8125 a gallon yesterday, the highest since the contract was introduced in 1978. Heating-oil futures are 56 percent higher than a year ago. .........................
Now it's only a category 3. So much for menace. Get some sleep Soccermomma. Dennis cutting a path through Cuba 9:25 p.m. ET Fri.,Jul.8,2005 http://www.weather.com/newscenter/tropical/ As of 9:00 p.m. ET, due to interaction with land over Cuba, Dennis' maximum sustained winds have dropped to 115 mph, but it is still a major Category 3 hurricane. Hurricane Dennis made a brief landfall near Cabo Cruz, Cuba on Thursday evening. The eye made a second landfall on the south-central coast of Cuba near
I usually sleep through these things anyway....we are used to tornados 'round these parts! During Ivan I sat out on the front porch on the swing while my daughter freaked out that we were all gonna die! This weather is more of a nuisance this far north 'cuz the power goes out and we have to pick up trash and trees out of the yard. After Ivan I did get to raise a tiny orphaned squirrel (christened "Ivan" of course). I am getting my baby squirrel nursery ready again just in case!
Bring on the squirrel recipes, I have heard them all! I got the squirrel when my dad presented a bucket to the then 2 year old and said "Look what I found" ...the poor thing was screaming for his momma, dehydrated and cold.....his eyes and ears were not open yet. I estimate he was about 4 weeks old. I stuck him inside my cleavage like any good mother would do ...and fed him Gatorade from a baby medicine syringe (pediatric nursing experience comes in handy!)......The wildlife shelter was "full up" from baby animals orphaned by Ivan so they told me how to get him started in life......My family thought I had lost my ever-luvin' mind getting up every night to make sure the poor baby was warm and safe, not to mention carrying him in my pocket or purse or backpack. Thankfully baby squirrels don't have to eat during the night hours , but during the day I had to feed him every 2 hours a stinky puppy milk formula. I took him everywhere with me until he started climbing out and trying to run everywhere at about 7 weeks old)...He went to several eating establishments, to church, to soccer games, to dinner parties and get-togethers... Then one day when I took him outside to aclimate him to the outdoors, he decided to run away up a tree and never came back. (I know this because I tearfully waited for him, binoculars in hand, at the foot of the tree he had scaled until the wee hours of the next morning.) By the time he left me he was about 9 weeks old and was eating nuts, fruit, Cheerios and monkey biscuits. I was told he would be fine by the wildlife vet. I saw him in the trees several times over the next few weeks, but soon he became indistinguishable from the other squirrels as his tail "bushed up". The 2 year old started calling every squirrel she saw "Ivan". I think he still comes for the peanut butter sandwich crusts and the other squirrel food we leave for him everyday. *sigh* The following are not my pics but look just like my little bundle of joyous fur did:
I'm praying he stays alive for a while b/c if he dies, my boyfriend will never come home. I don't think you were there for Opal. I'm not too worried about the storm at all. The only thing that concerns me is that so many houses still aren't repaired after Ivan. I will never have a house on the water (unless it's Grand Isle in which case Grand Isle probably won't exist).
The tropical storm's tornadoes took out a few of the motels. I'd so much rather things like Dennis come here instead of to Lousiana b/c I want everything to be there next time I'm there.
I know. From Grand Isle back through New Orleans, all TM was saying was "Before I moved to Florida that wasn't under water" etc. The water is right up on the edge of the road in most places now. It's so easy to fall in love with a place if there are good people, a lot of great food, and the beach.
Certainly looks that way. Dennis a strong category 3 10:07 p.m. ET Sat.,Jul.9,2005 http://www.weather.com/newscenter/tropical/ Dennis Bottom Line # Landfall on Gulf Coast expected Sunday afternoon or evening # Impacts will not be limited to the coast # Currently undergoing significant intensification As of 9:00 p.m. ET, Dennis' maximum sustained winds increased to 125 mph making it a major Category 3 hurricane once again. The Air Force Reserve Hurricane Hunter Aircraft found a rapid drop in the pressure signifying intensification. Also when viewing the satellite, Dennis has regained most all of the organization and symmetry that it had before its Cuban landfall. .....................