Knowing which way the wind blows

As some of you know, I live in a hurricane zone. It's a bit like living in an earthquake prone area but you get advance warnings. I suppose I should compare it to tornado prone areas but we have that too... just north of us... but you get warnings for those, too. Just not very far in advance. And ours are generally smaller. I lived in an earthquake prone state, California, the warning you get is when the dinnerware and glasses in the cupboards start rattling. I never experienced any significant earthquakes. It's a good thing. Mostly because I never knew whether I was supposed to get out of the house or stay where I was. The few shakers I felt proved I would not have the time to make a decision so I suppose it doesn't really matter.

I know what to do for hurricanes... shutter the windows, make sure you have plenty of ice, make sure you have lots of batteries of all sizes, and start inviting people for the hurricane party. We can do that... Have a party, that is... because we do not live on the beach. If you live on the beach, don't throw a party. Get out. Go visit your friends who live inland. The ones with a strong roof and a large emergency generator.

We still have about 6 weeks left in hurricane season. The prediction for this year from NOAA was:

Across the entire Atlantic Basin for the six-month season, which begins June 1, NOAA is predicting the following ranges this year:

12 to 18 named storms (winds of 39 mph or higher), of which:

6 to 10 could become hurricanes (winds of 74 mph or higher), including:

3 to 6 major hurricanes (Category 3, 4 or 5; winds of 111 mph or higher)

Each of these ranges has a 70 percent likelihood, and indicate that activity will exceed the seasonal average of 11 named storms, six hurricanes and two major hurricanes.
[NOAA]

So far, they look to be on track:

Total depressions: 17
Total storms: 16
Hurricanes: 5
Major hurricanes (Cat. 3+): 3
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2011_Atlantic_hurricane_season]


None, I am happy to say, made landfall in Florida so none threatened my little slice of paradise. I am also happy to say most of the storms avoided land altogether. Still, some places were hit and there was a lot of damage and some loss of life.

We are not out of the woods yet, though. As I said, we have about 6 weeks left before the season is officially over. And the late season storms are often the worst... so they tell me.

Another year in which I do not have to board up windows and waterproof the doors is a Good Thing.