2011 Atlantic Hurricane Season
 

The season is from June 1 through November 30.

This year's list of names:
Arlene
Bret
Cindy
Don
Emily
Franklin
Gert
Harvey
Irene
Jose
Katia
Lee
Maria
Nate
Ophelia
Philippe
Rina
Sean
Tammy
Vince
Whitney

As of late last night, we have our first named storm of the season, Tropical Storm Arlene. Expected to make landfall in Mexico as a tropical storm sometime tonight.

A HURRICANE WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR...
* THE COAST OF EASTERN MEXICO FROM BARRA DE NAUTLA NORTHWARD TO LA
CRUZ

A TROPICAL STORM WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR...
* THE COAST OF EASTERN MEXICO FROM PALMA SOLA NORTHWARD TO
LA PESCA

http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/storm_graphi...113W_NL_sm.gif

This image should update itself and become unavailable when the storm dissipates.

I have seen some conversations between Meteorologists on what seems to be a correlation between having a major Tornado/Severe Thunderstorm season and a major Hurricane Season. No studies yet prove it but something to keep in mind if one is near the coast this summer.
A few interesting sites of some help and interest:

http://www.nhc.noaa.gov
http://www.weather.com/newscenter/hurricanecentral/
http://www.stormpulse.com/
http://www.imapweather.com/fullscreen/
http://www.boatus.com/hurricanes/

Tropical Storm Bret is off the East coast of Florida, expected to remain a tropical storm as it moves north-eastward, not making landfall. No watches/warnings are currently issued, though a Tropical Storm Watch expired today for the Bahamas.

http://i54.tinypic.com/30neob9.jpg

This is why I live in Cali. Hurricanes/tornadoes scare the crap out of me. I'm good if the ground is moving, it's when stuff goes spinning all in the air that I lose my head.

Occaisionally, ish really goes down. But for the most part there's an incredible amount of preventative measures you can take. I think the hardest/creepiest part is knowing when it's time to leave town, knowing that you can't ride this one out safely. Rarely happens. I haven't evacuated since Floyd (1999) which didn't even hit us directly. They definitely spook me but... Nowhere near as scary to me as knowing a major earthquake could (and by now, should, even) hit at any time. And yeah tornados creep me for the same reason.

TS Cindy

http://i54.tinypic.com/6ezvk7.jpg

I think it's easy to say that when there hasn't been a "big one" in a while.

I think earthquakes are the scariest natural disaster because they can do just as much damage as a hurricane but you have no idea it's coming so you can't evacuate. Add the tsunami threat on to the tail end of it and .. yikes. I think if I lived in a hurricane prone area, I would have a few rubbermaid boxes packed with certain things that I wouldn't want to lose (family keepsakes, photos, etc.) all through hurricane season. I would definitely get out of dodge early when they started up with the warnings.

Looks like more rain and stormy weather is coming my way. Gotta love July in Western Europe.

It is a good idea to get out early, though a lot of times it will be needless. When they first issue warnings, storms can be hundreds of miles away. There's little telling where it will go within the "cone of uncertainty." And evacuating can be a real pain when you've got scenarios like:

Charley (2004)
http://www.recmod.com/hurricane/char...-8-12-am11.jpg

Hanna (2008)
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_1UJt5XCdQv...00/Hanna02.gif

When a single hurricane can hit anywhere from Miami to Maine, it's hard to tell when to leave. And this happens A LOT. Which is why you see those horror images on the news of both sides of the interstate heading east, gridlocked, with a storm bearing down. Better safe than sorry, yeah, but it's a big game of chance sometimes.

Seeing this thread makes me so glad I decided not to move to Florida (of course with the current heat wave I feel like I'm in Florida anyways)

I still love Florida :) It's not TOO bad.

http://www.floridahurricane.net/imag...info-stats.gif

When Jim Cantore shows up in your town, it's time to get the hell out!

Earthquakes scare me to death--->will never live in Cali.

It's easy to say because I'm way more scared of hurricanes than earthquakes. ;) I've experienced a small hurricane touching down on the building I was in and it scared the bejeezus out of me. Tornadoes can go for miles tearing up things, displacing people and animals, sweeping everything out of its way. They may not cause tsunamis but there can be extreme flooding. In an earthquake, I know just what to do and it's over in a few seconds. I don't live near enough to the water for tsunamis to affect me but tornadoes/hurricanes can hit inland or seaside. I'm just much more comfortable with the thought of the ground moving, I'm a Californian in that way I guess.

TS Don as of 8 PM 7/28

http://i52.tinypic.com/2uyitkh.jpg