Tropical Storm Alex arrives... 2pm

The season has officially started...
Nice for Jim at HurricaneCity.com who has his on air broadcast this evening.
Fun to have a radio show when there's a storm out there to discuss.
The boards are alive with possibilities and discussion of models.

We started with a system close to home that is already threatening to make landfall or have nearby land areas feel its effects. I think this will be the first of many storms this season to actually affect the US Coastline.

And.. it's always fun to be able to sit home on a Sunday and watch the storm on radar on The Weather Channel.

Posted below is the now infamous bulletin that heralded in our "real season" and the first storm of the season.

Some models continue to intensify this system down the road..
Will see... the arguing online on the boards has begun :)

And... we are all looking east towards where Bonnie might be forming.

http://www.intellicast.com/Local/USNationalWide.asp?loc=usa&seg=LocalWeather&prodgrp=SatelliteImagery&product=AtlanticHIRES&prodnav=none&pid=none

long link... wide shot view of the whole Atlantic.. old fashioned but still fun to look at..

WTNT31 KNHC 011743TCPAT1BULLETINTROPICAL STORM ALEX INTERMEDIATE ADVISORY NUMBER 4ANWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL2 PM EDT SUN AUG 01 2004...THE FIRST TROPICAL STORM OF THE SEASON FORMS...A TROPICAL STORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM CAPE FEAR TO CAPEHATTERAS NORTH CAROLINA...INCLUDING THE PAMLICO SOUND. A TROPICALSTORM WARNING MEANS THAT TROPICAL STORM CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTEDWITHIN THE WARNING AREA WITHIN THE NEXT 24 HOURS.A TROPICAL STORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM EDISTO BEACH SOUTHCAROLINA TO CAPE FEAR NORTH CAROLINA.REPORTS FROM AN AIR FORCE RESERVE UNIT RECONNAISSANCE AIRCRAFTINDICATE THAT TROPICAL DEPRESSION ONE HAS STRENGTHENED INTOTROPICAL STORM ALEX...THE FIRST NAMED STORM OF THE 2004 NORTHATLANTIC HURRICANE SEASON.AT 2 PM EDT...1800Z...THE POORLY-DEFINED CENTER OF TROPICALSTORM ALEX WAS LOCATED NEAR LATITUDE 31.7 NORTH...LONGITUDE79.1 WEST OR ABOUT 80 MILES...SOUTH-SOUTHEAST OF CHARLESTONSOUTH CAROLINA.THE CENTER OF ALEX HAS BEEN ESSENTIALLY STATIONARY OVER THE PASTSEVERAL HOURS...HOWEVER...A SLOW NORTHWARD MOTION IS EXPECTED TOBEGIN LATER TODAY WITH A TURN TO THE NORTH-NORTHEAST TOMORROW. ONTHIS TRACK...THE CENTER OF ALEX IS EXPECTED TO BE VERY NEAR THESOUTH CAROLINA COASTLINE TONIGHT.MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS ARE NEAR 40 MPH... 65 KM/HR...WITH HIGHERGUSTS...MAINLY IN SQUALLS TO THE SOUTH AND EAST OF THE CENTER. SOMESTRENGTHENING IS POSSIBLE OVER THE NEXT 24 HOURS.THE MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE REPORTED BY RECONNAISSANCE AIRCRAFT IS1010 MB...29.82 INCHES.RAINFALL ACCUMULATIONS OF 1-2 INCHES...WITH ISOLATED HIGHERAMOUNTS...CAN BE EXPECTED IN ASSOCIATION WITH ALEX.REPEATING THE 2 PM EDT POSITION...31.7 N... 79.1 W. MOVEMENT...STATIONARY. MAXIMUM SUSTAINEDWINDS... 40 MPH. MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE...1010 MB.FOR STORM INFORMATION SPECIFIC TO YOUR AREA...PLEASE MONITORPRODUCTS ISSUED BY YOUR LOCAL WEATHER OFFICE.THE NEXT ADVISORY WILL BE ISSUED BY THE NATIONALHURRICANE CENTER AT 5 PM EDT.FORECASTER FRANKLIN$$WWWW