The Swamp

The wife is kinda losing her shit over this hurricane. I mean, it does look like potentially the worst hurricane in this area since Hugo in '89, but still.

It’s potentailly really bad, even inland up your way. She’s right to take it very seriously.

My sister in Alexandria is freaking out already.

So, as many of you know, I-5 is the main north-south artery on the west coast. And it was shut down in northern California the last couple days, due to a wildfire. So, my wife was freaking out, with the drive to Seattle upcoming in a week to take our daughter to college. But, it looks like part of it re-opened today.

Pruitt wrote: ↑Mon Sep 10, 2018 8:58 pm My sister in Alexandria is freaking out already.

Alexandria, VA? That is not an area that needs to be on high alert.

tennbengal wrote: ↑Tue Sep 11, 2018 4:07 am

Pruitt wrote: ↑Mon Sep 10, 2018 8:58 pm My sister in Alexandria is freaking out already.

Alexandria, VA? That is not an area that needs to be on high alert.

Not worried about life and limb, but she saw a projection that indicated days of heavy rain. DC is apparently saturated, and her basement always floods.

Pruitt wrote: ↑Tue Sep 11, 2018 5:27 am

tennbengal wrote: ↑Tue Sep 11, 2018 4:07 am

Pruitt wrote: ↑Mon Sep 10, 2018 8:58 pm My sister in Alexandria is freaking out already.

Alexandria, VA? That is not an area that needs to be on high alert.

Not worried about life and limb, but she saw a projection that indicated days of heavy rain. DC is apparently saturated, and her basement always floods.

Ah, yes. It has been crazy wet here and it would not take much rain from the system to mess up basements.

My condo is a tall structure built of concrete and steel with a parking garage on the ground floor. It will be fine. On the other hand, there are trailer parks on both sides as well as across the street. With the current projection of hitting Wilmington or a bit north of there as a cat 4 ... well, there may be some empty fields around our condo soon. Pretty awful for people who've been there for decades.

Shirley wrote: ↑Mon Sep 10, 2018 8:47 pm The wife is kinda losing her shit over this hurricane. I mean, it does look like potentially the worst hurricane in this area since Hugo in '89, but still.

Hows the beach place? The beaches closest to my heart are between Wilimington and Morehead City. Lets hope it doesnt get as bad as Hugo. Hugo and Andrew were the two that I recall knowing people that were affected. It was pretty bad in Chapel Hill during a 90s hurricane even that far inland so hold on...

HaulCitgo wrote: ↑Tue Sep 11, 2018 9:22 am

Shirley wrote: ↑Mon Sep 10, 2018 8:47 pm The wife is kinda losing her shit over this hurricane. I mean, it does look like potentially the worst hurricane in this area since Hugo in '89, but still.

Hows the beach place? The beaches closest to my heart are between Wilimington and Morehead City. Lets hope it doesnt get as bad as Hugo. Hugo and Andrew were the two that I recall knowing people that were affected. It was pretty bad in Chapel Hill during a 90s hurricane even that far inland so hold on...

That's the spot that's in the bullseye right now. The eye is headed for Wilmington, or just north. That means the strongest winds on the north side will run from Wilmington to about Morehead City, I think. Of course, we're still a couple of days out, so things will move. I saw some pics of a destroyed beach from Hugo and that beach was 50 miles north of where the eye hit. I think Morehead is about 80 miles as the debris flies from Wilmington.

Good luck to anyone here who could be affected by this scary storm.

Giff wrote: ↑Tue Sep 11, 2018 9:53 am Good luck to anyone here who could be affected by this scary storm.

You are in our prayers, Giff.

Giff wrote: ↑Tue Sep 11, 2018 9:53 am Good luck to anyone here who could be affected by this scary storm.

I did have good luck. American emailed me that I could re-book my flight home free of charge due to the anticipated weather and was able to do that yesterday.

Then again, I'm now connecting at O'Hare, so maybe not that good of luck.

Shirley wrote: ↑Tue Sep 11, 2018 9:09 am My condo is a tall structure built of concrete and steel with a parking garage on the ground floor. It will be fine. On the other hand, there are trailer parks on both sides as well as across the street. With the current projection of hitting Wilmington or a bit north of there as a cat 4 ... well, there may be some empty fields around our condo soon. Pretty awful for people who've been there for decades.

On the bright side, that should boost your property value!

rass wrote: ↑Wed Sep 12, 2018 8:11 am WH is prepared for Florence

Pruitt wrote: ↑Tue Sep 11, 2018 5:27 am

tennbengal wrote: ↑Tue Sep 11, 2018 4:07 am

Pruitt wrote: ↑Mon Sep 10, 2018 8:58 pm My sister in Alexandria is freaking out already.

Alexandria, VA? That is not an area that needs to be on high alert.

Not worried about life and limb, but she saw a projection that indicated days of heavy rain. DC is apparently saturated, and her basement always floods.

So DC is built on a swamp and the 100 year flood story is not great for the Mall. They have recently spent an ape load of money to protect the area
https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/pot ... lood-levee

This is Alexandria from this past weekend. It floods a whole bunch with even slightly above normal rains. They sandbag frequently and restaurants, shops, and the old torpedo factory on the main drag seem to know the drill.
https://wtop.com/weather-news/2018/09/w ... y/slide/1/

The one I am curious about up here is Ellicott City. They have been crushed by 2 flash floods (due to some less than ideal location/zoning decisions/road construction) in the last few years (3 months ago was a big one).

The new forecast models are great news for most of North Carolina. Now, it looks like Florence will get close, take a slow trip down the coast to Myrtle Beach, weakening on the way, and finally make landfall in SC somewhere south of Myrtle, as a 2 or lower. Raleigh isn't even in the cone of uncertainty anymore, which is a pretty crazy change from yesterday.

Shirley wrote: ↑Wed Sep 12, 2018 11:51 am The new forecast models are great news for most of North Carolina. Now, it looks like Florence will get close, take a slow trip down the coast to Myrtle Beach, weakening on the way, and finally make landfall in SC somewhere south of Myrtle, as a 2 or lower. Raleigh isn't even in the cone of uncertainty anymore, which is a pretty crazy change from yesterday.

My buddy in Charleston is heading to Atlanta. The low country could be underwater soon.

My phone is already screaming destitute refugees coming to create 2 hour commute.

Build the wall!

wlu_lax6 wrote: ↑Wed Sep 12, 2018 9:25 am

Pruitt wrote: ↑Tue Sep 11, 2018 5:27 am

tennbengal wrote: ↑Tue Sep 11, 2018 4:07 am

Pruitt wrote: ↑Mon Sep 10, 2018 8:58 pm My sister in Alexandria is freaking out already.

Alexandria, VA? That is not an area that needs to be on high alert.

Not worried about life and limb, but she saw a projection that indicated days of heavy rain. DC is apparently saturated, and her basement always floods.

So DC is built on a swamp and the 100 year flood story is not great for the Mall. They have recently spent an ape load of money to protect the area
https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/pot ... lood-levee

This is Alexandria from this past weekend. It floods a whole bunch with even slightly above normal rains. They sandbag frequently and restaurants, shops, and the old torpedo factory on the main drag seem to know the drill.
https://wtop.com/weather-news/2018/09/w ... y/slide/1/

The one I am curious about up here is Ellicott City. They have been crushed by 2 flash floods (due to some less than ideal location/zoning decisions/road construction) in the last few years (3 months ago was a big one).

This area couldn't take a huge storm. Completely saturated, with Flash Flood Warnings multiple times in the last 2 weeks.

And, like wlu said, Alexandria floods constantly. Georgetown, which is similarly located on the Potomac, but upstream, spent a shit-ton of money to build flood protection walls and it was money well spent.

Of course, Florence has shifted a bit again. Still taking that left/south turn, but now she's doing it after making landfall near Wilmington (again). And while the storm will still be moving slowly, not quite as slowly lingering along the coast as they were thinking yesterday. Plus, she's a clear 2 now instead of a 3 or 4, but bigger, so the net result may be about the same. Unfortunately for me, the slight shift back north puts my condo back into the danger zone for a while. 20+ inches of rain and tropical storm/hurricane force winds for like 24 hours. The tough part will probably be the high tides combined with the storm surge. There ain't much to those islands.

Frying Pan Tower, off of Bald Head Island, NC.

Cape Fear is my favorite east coast cape name. Cape Disappointment on the west coast.

Bald Head Island - what a name.

That webcam is oddly hypnotic and absolutely terrifying.

Now picture it with a double-triangle flag

That's been open (on mute, for the most part) all day. The wind has shifted pretty dramatically the last hour or so. It was blowing straight in from the east all morning, now it's blowing hard to the south. Makes sense as this place is north of the eye.

Obviously not scientific or anything, but it's WAY louder than it was earlier this morning.

Nonlinear FC wrote: ↑Thu Sep 13, 2018 12:23 pm That's been open (on mute, for the most part) all day. The wind has shifted pretty dramatically the last hour or so. It was blowing straight in from the east all morning, now it's blowing hard to the south. Makes sense as this place is north of the eye.

Obviously not scientific or anything, but it's WAY louder than it was earlier this morning.

Blew my speakers out... Flag is shredded, think Trumpers attack God for desecrating the American flag?

Oh my god it looks like some sort of kickass dino-dog puppet.

Ryan wrote: ↑Thu Sep 13, 2018 1:52 pm Oh my god it looks like some sort of kickass dino-dog puppet.

If that flag survives this storm, it's going to end up in a museum somewhere.

And since the flagpole is now oscillating quite a bit, I doubt it will survive.

The degrading view off the back of my condo. (not my exact unit. A neighbor has a webcam.)

Sabo wrote: ↑Thu Sep 13, 2018 3:33 pm

Ryan wrote: ↑Thu Sep 13, 2018 1:52 pm Oh my god it looks like some sort of kickass dino-dog puppet.

If that flag survives this storm, it's going to end up in a museum somewhere.

And since the flagpole is now oscillating quite a bit, I doubt it will survive.

It's looking like the flag of Nepal right now. It' ain't going to make it.

Everything is wobbling. Jesus!

Good luck Shirley, this looks brutal.

Pruitt wrote: ↑Thu Sep 13, 2018 6:36 pm Everything is wobbling. Jesus!

Good luck Shirley, this looks brutal.

Camera is down.

DSafetyGuy wrote: ↑Thu Sep 13, 2018 7:06 pm

Pruitt wrote: ↑Thu Sep 13, 2018 6:36 pm Everything is wobbling. Jesus!

Good luck Shirley, this looks brutal.

Camera is down.

It’s still making a ton of noise, though.

DSafetyGuy wrote: ↑Thu Sep 13, 2018 7:06 pm

Pruitt wrote: ↑Thu Sep 13, 2018 6:36 pm Everything is wobbling. Jesus!

Good luck Shirley, this looks brutal.

Camera is down.

But the underwater one is working. Looks so calm and peaceful.

Looks like camp lejeune and topsail are the bulleye.

Wilmington

That is unreal.