On Friday, May Fourth, a large disturbance sat over the Bahamas. Rain came down from Puerto Rico through Jamaica, Hispaniola, and parts of the Bahamas. Models suggested the disturbance had a chance to move west and impact South Florida over the weekend. (See previous post) The impacts here were minimal with just a few scattered downpours, mostly on Sunday.
Disturbances and tropical waves are very fickle and difficult to forecast, they can grow quickly or fall apart just as fast. This one fizzled for South Florida but it doesn't mean the next one will. This is a great reminder that the official start of hurricane season is June 1st. I can't stress enough how important it is to ready now for a season that lasts 6 months.
Fortunately hurricanes, the largest storms on earth, (pictured above) will never take you by surprise. You will see me ad nauseum on TV, for days and days before a system makes landfall warning you of its arrival.
What to do
There are some things you may not be able to control, for example how sturdy your home may be, or if a high rise has impact resistant windows...so plan for those weaknesses. Set a plan now as to where you may go to ride out a hurricane, a friend, a family members place, or maybe a shelter. Now is the time to contact your county for information on those shelters and how to sign up. Remember pet lovers, not all shelters accept animals, plan ahead for your furry family member.
Click for more info: Dade County Shelter Info
Broward County: Broward County Shelter info
Keys Shelters: Monroe County Shelter Info
Things you can control: While buying food/water/supplies can get expensive, start by buying one or two items whenever you got shopping, this way you won't get hit with a large bill. My retired parents on social security do this and they say its manageable. They also have medical issues and make sure they have enough meds to last a week after the passage of a storm. Remember as we age, we can't tolerate big temperature extremes, so make sure wherever you plan to ride out a system that it is generator enabled to keep you cool.
This is a great web site from NOAA to help you with ideas on how to prepare. Hurricane preparedness tips
Remember, the entire WSVN weather team will be here to guide you through any tropical threat, either via this blog, on-air, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or LIVE on the web.
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Lets hope 2018 will spare us any tropical grief.
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