Hurricane Ike is now a Cat 4

[malaise]

135mph. Florida DUers please start preparing for this one.

http://www.wunderground.com/tropical/tracking/at200809_5day.html#a_topad



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[bear425]

1. Yes, this one looks very scary. Thanks for posting. n/t

[Strelnikov_]

2. And he's still just working on the TCHP entree

[karenoxley]

15. this one is gonna be bad

[tanyev]

3. And since this will hit after the convention is over, the GOP won't care about this one.

[Bluebear]

4. That's not fair. Florida has a lot of electoral votes.

[tanyev]

6. Yeah, McCain will probably show up for a few photo-ops.

No Laura/Cindy telethon, though.

[malaise]

5. They have already forgotten Louisiana

and there is severe damage in Baton Rouge.

[Bubbha Jo]

7. Incoming......!!!

Is there any chance Jo-sephine might dance into DC?

[dysfunctional press]

8. historically- these kind of storms rarely hit the u.s. with any power, and never in florida.

they tend to veer offnorth and out to sea.

it depends on what kind of systems are coming off the gulf/continent to guide it- or it could follow hanna. or even make history and hit florida...:shrug:

best to keep a wary eye.

[thewiseguy]

9. I am not sure if you have seen the NHC forecast tracks but this one will hit

http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/storm_graphics/AT09/refresh/AL0908W5_sm2+gif/025413W_sm.gif

[dysfunctional press]

10. still too early to say for sure...

look at the number of storms that size that have gotten along the same type of track and then veered sharply n/ne.

(remember gabrielle? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurricane_Gabrielle_(1989))

[magellan]

11. Forecasts of tropical systems more than 3 days out are very unreliable

The current forecast track will change quite a lot between now and Monday. Once Ike is close enough for recon to fly in for a check and there's a firmer grasp of the dynamics in play, the track will start tightening up.

[entanglement]

12. Wow! So it went from a Cat 1 to a Cat 4 in 6 hours!

[malaise]

16. And is now 145mph

Keep an eye of this one. No one is sure where it's going at this time, but if I were in South Florida, I'd be making preparations.

[lonestarnot]

13. San Dan Donia! Here we go again! Run family run!

[lonestarnot]

14. .