Squally Evening in Miami.. amazing Hurricane Dennis

Had a long Shabbos. Nice, good.. luckily far from the eye of Hurricane Dennis.

Last year we sat through two long Hurricanes on a Shabbos afternoon in Miami. Both storms hit over the weekend. Seems Hurricane Season 2005 is part two of 2004. Back to Hurricane Shabbos again.

Cooked. Hoped that we kept electric. Worried a bit on friends in Key West that stayed but pretty confident that they would be okay. Watched TWC on mute for a bit, left it on over Shabbos. I can see Dennis in my sleep by now. Watched the palm fronds thrash about wildly and new squalls pass through much like the last ones.

Around 4:30 am last night a band went through that seemed like a small hurricane. Must have been good long tropical storm force winds in that one. Heavy distant lighting that growled the way it does when a twister in near. Probably a few. Massive tree damage one block over and the rest of the area is okay.. smells of a small twister touching down.

Had meals with the kids. Some of their friends came and went between bands. Enough quiet in the afternoon for company to come over a few times.

Watched the birds all morning sitting around on the ground. You knew a band was going to go through when suddenly birds flew out of the tree next door and they found shelter on the ground, near the house. Pecking at something on the ground. Didn't really see birds until late in the afternoon today. They began coming back from where ever they were. I live near a canal, sort of natural preserve so there are usually tons of birds flying about. Not tonight.

Kept reminding the kids.. "this was the fringe" so they don't grow up and think we had Dennis.. just the fringes. So many people think they have been through a storm when all they got was the fringe.

We were lucky to have the fringe, excitement, electric power and be able to watch the weather and not have to have any of the danger.

Long season just starting.. we will have our chance I am sure.

So far the NHC did an incredible job with this storm. You can watch it hit the plots each time "BAM" .. smack dab in the center. Great job. Steady storm, chug, chug NW@14mph over and over.

Will see tons of damage out of Cuba. Heard death stories so far, a few.

Wow.. heavy band coming through again now. Strong wind..

Went out to dinner tonight after Shabbos with a friend. Needed to get away from the house, away from Dennis and just relax. Hard to though knowing what is going to unfold tomorrow. And, knowing Dennis is out there...but nice to get out.

Going to go to bed now and write more tomorrow. Read up on some storms in a book today that showed strong July storm hitting the NW panhandle area back before definitive records but pressure was low. Has happend, not much since official records 1871. But, there have been years. Do not want to blow this off on "global warming" and tend to go with Chris Landsea on this one... periods of years, back to back patterns. Was anyone screaming global warming in the 1940s? Four years give or take of back to back storms with similar tracks. Was a year back in the 1800s where THREE tropical storms all hit the big bend, bam, bam, bam.. Sometimes patterns stay similar and then they change. From 1965 though the late 80s hardly ever Florida storms.. but many Texas storms. Notice economic growth patterns through history in areas when storms do not hit for ten years or so. 1970s had explosive growth in Florida in the construction industry, condos on Collins Avenue.. etc. Key West in the 1890s. Galeveston until the 1900 storm.

Economy and weather going hand in hand.. over history.

Going to bed. Will post some info tomorrow from different sources. And, will watch Dennis tomorrow.. some more.

And, next week.. arriving in the Atlantic Hurricane Basin... Emily.

Keep watching. Stay tuned.

Watch history unfold with Dennis.

Rare to happen but when people tell you "according to climo" etc etc.. years from now you will remind them of Dennis when they say "you never see _____________ in July" Dennis broke the rules on climo.. in the biggest of ways.

Nite. Bobbi
did I mention I saw a big transformer pop TONIGHT on the way home from a late night dinner.. POP.. one big bang, sparks flying everywhere and was the 4th of July all over again.