Fay not finished with Florida yet


By Anna Scott


Published: Wednesday, August 20, 2008 at 1:00 a.m.
Last Modified: Wednesday, August 20, 2008 at 12:23 p.m.
Today, veteran hurricane forecaster Bill Gray will ring a bell at his daily forecasting meeting as he always does on Aug. 20 to mark the start of the serious season.


And Tropical Storm Fay will threaten to boomerang back toward Florida's east coast, where it could strike St. Augustine with Category 1 force on Thursday.


The next six weeks are typically the busiest of the Atlantic basin hurricane season, and Sept. 10 is the historic peak date for landfalls.
The Atlantic Ocean reaches its peak warmth in September and cold fronts that bring fall weather to northern states interact with the high pressure system that would normally shield Florida from hurricanes, pushing it back and forth to steer storms into the coast.


Fay not finished with Florida yet | HeraldTribune.com | Southwest Florida's Information Leader

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WTNT31 KNHC 201742
TCPAT1
BULLETIN
TROPICAL STORM FAY INTERMEDIATE ADVISORY NUMBER 20A
NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL AL062008
200 PM EDT WED AUG 20 2008

...FAY STALLS NEAR CAPE CANAVERAL...DUMPING TORRENTIAL RAINS...

A TROPICAL STORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM FORT PIERCE
NORTHWARD TO ALTAMAHA SOUND GEORGIA.

A TROPICAL STORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM NORTH OF ALTAMAHA
SOUND TO THE SAVANNAH RIVER.

FOR STORM INFORMATION SPECIFIC TO YOUR AREA...INCLUDING POSSIBLE
INLAND WATCHES AND WARNINGS...PLEASE MONITOR PRODUCTS ISSUED
BY YOUR LOCAL WEATHER OFFICE.

AT 200 PM EDT...1800Z...THE CENTER OF TROPICAL STORM FAY WAS
LOCATED NEAR LATITUDE 28.6 NORTH...LONGITUDE 80.6 WEST ABOUT 15
MILES...20 KM...NORTH OF CAPE CANAVERAL FLORIDA.

FAY HAS BEEN NEARLY STATIONARY DURING THE PAST FEW HOURS. FAY IS
EXPECTED TO RESUME A SLOW NORTHWARD MOTION LATER TODAY WITH A TURN
TO THE NORTHWEST ON THURSDAY.

MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS ARE NEAR 50 MPH...85 KM/HR...WITH HIGHER
GUSTS. THESE WINDS ARE OCCURRING MOSTLY OVER WATER WELL TO THE
EAST OF THE CENTER. NO SIGNIFICANT CHANGE IN STRENGTH IS FORECAST
DURING THE NEXT 24 HOURS.

TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 115 MILES...185 KM
MAINLY TO THE EAST OF THE CENTER.

ESTIMATED MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE IS 997 MB...29.44 INCHES.

FAY IS EXPECTED TO PRODUCE ADDITIONAL RAINFALL ACCUMULATIONS OF 5 TO
10 INCHES OVER EAST-CENTRAL AND NORTHEASTERN FLORIDA...WITH 3 TO 6
INCHES OVER SOUTHEASTERN GEORGIA. ISOLATED STORM TOTAL AMOUNTS OF
30 INCHES ARE POSSIBLE IN FLORIDA. ACCUMULATIONS OF 3 TO 5 INCHES
ARE POSSIBLE IN THE NORTHWESTERN BAHAMAS. AN UNOFFICIAL REPORT OF
NEAR 22 INCHES OF RAIN WAS MEASURED JUST TO THE NORTHWEST OF
MELBOURNE FLORIDA.

STORM TIDES OF 1 TO 3 FEET ABOVE NORMAL ARE POSSIBLE ALONG THE
EAST COAST OF FLORIDA TO THE NORTH OF THE CENTER OF FAY.

ISOLATED TORNADOES ARE POSSIBLE OVER PORTIONS OF NORTHEASTERN
FLORIDA.

REPEATING THE 200 PM EDT POSITION...28.6 N...80.6 W. MOVEMENT
...STATIONARY. MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS...50 MPH.
MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE...997 MB.

THE NEXT ADVISORY WILL BE ISSUED BY THE NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER AT
500 PM EDT.

$$

Tropical Storm FAY Public Advisory
FORECASTER AVILA

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Tropical Storm Fay has been lashing Florida for a fifth day and become the first storm to make landfall three times in the state for almost 50 years.

With winds of up to 95km/h (60mph), Fay has dumped 60cm (2ft) of rain over several areas, causing heavy flooding and leaving thousands without power.

The storm has been following an erratic path, criss-crossing the state rather than heading out over the Atlantic.
It has killed at least 20 people since it formed in the Atlantic last week.

Most of those deaths were reported in the Caribbean, but on Thursday two women drowned in storm-churned waves off Flagler Beach, Florida. In some flooded areas along Florida's low-lying coastline, residents have been warned to be wary of alligators and snakes forced from their habitats in search of dry land.

Full report and video: BBC NEWS | World | Americas | Fay lashes Florida for fifth day

------------------------------------- then...

Tropical Storm Fay, which has left a trail of death and destruction in its wake, has entered the record books by hitting Florida for a fourth time.

The storm has not reached hurricane strength, but its erratic path, with winds of up to 95km/h (60mph) and heavy rain, has caused major problems.

Governor Charlie Crist says at least 10 people have died as a result of the storm which first hit on Monday.
Before reaching the US, at least 12 people died when Fay hit the Caribbean.


Having formed more than a week ago, Fay tore through Haiti and the Dominican Republic before drenching parts of Cuba.
Heading north, the storm first made landfall in the Florida Keys on Monday.

It then headed out over open water before hitting land for a second time near Naples on Florida's south-western coast. Advancing slowly north-east across the state, Fay reached the Atlantic before veering west and making landfall late on Thursday and again on Saturday.

Full report: BBC NEWS | World | Americas | Fay hits Florida for fourth time

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