Snow Flurries in Florida -- Tampa Bay in the News..

It's almost as if Tampa Bay was zapped with meteorological, geological gamma rays and they are suddenly in the news today... for snow flurries on near by beaches, sink holes that open up and swallow homes and bury a man alive. News of the weird alive and well in Florida.

http://www.wtsp.com/default.aspx  (link to some of these stories to prove I am not making this up)

http://www.wtsp.com/news/topstories/article/301809/250/Demolition-of-sinkhole-damaged-home-starts-Sunday

The man who "passed away" was sitting in his bedroom when the ground suddenly gave way and he plunged down into the sink hole. His brother heard him screaming out for help as he was buried alive and sliding down into the growing sink hole which is now 60 feet deep and 30 feet wide.

One wonders if he even knew what hit him... maybe he thought it was a meteor or a plane crashing on his house. Had he heard strange noises and thought someone was excavating nearby or... silence and then devastation. It's really horrible, it's really sad and yet I barely blinked when I heard the word "sink hole" although I thought it would be further inland and up the coast where sink holes often happen.

http://www.cnn.com/2013/03/01/us/florida-sinkhole/index.html

The high today is in the 50s... which does happen in Tampa Bay sometimes, however it's March and usually by March it has warmed up a lot.



In 1899 a strong cold front moved south and brought snow to the region. Interestingly enough the following summer brought an active hurricane season to the region as well. Will the same scenario play out this year? Only time will tell...



Tropical storm 6 crossed the Tampa region on the way to Gainesville... an area that is usually prone to sink holes. "A storm formed to the south of Cuba on October 2, 1899. It curved around Cuba and hit Gainesville, Florida as a tropical storm with 45 mph (72 km/h) winds. It then continued out into sea, and hit the eastern-most edge of Canada. It then moved out and dissipated on October 8, 1899."

http://www.wtsp.com/weather/article/301158/3/Will-it-snow-Sunday-in-Tampa-Bay

Note the story above.... written a few days ago about possible snow flakes in Tampa Bay on Sunday which was pretty spot on if you ask me. Gutsy call. Many have called in seeing snow flakes that soon turned into what was described as "hail" but probably was ice pellets before it turned back to rain.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/capital-weather-gang/post/could-it-snow-in-tampa
-florida-this-weekend/2013/02/27/bf4eb67a-80fc-11e2-a350-49866afab584_blog.html

See the Jet Stream graphic:

Now look at the current WV Image:

Watch the loop that will change in real time... 

As for sink holes....they happen in Florida often, especially up near the Lake..north of the Lake. The ground is made of limestone on top of under ground rivers and when the dry season happens.... odd things also happen. They also get forest fires.. and one is currently raging near Ormond Beach, Florida.

http://www.nbcnews.com/video/nightly-news/51020916/

http://www.accuweather.com/en/weather-news/winds-fuel-wildfires-in-centra/7258508

It's a sick cycle. Sort of like when you live in Southern California. First you get forest fires up in the canyons as the chaparral catches fire, explodes and creates brush fires that burn for days. Then you get heavy rain months later and the hillsides go sliding down in a torrent of mud ... rock slides... Malibu Canyon is a mess, PCH is closed while they clean up the rocks and mud.

Except in Florida... if it rains too much you get a sink hole. If it's too dry there's a sink hole... sometimes there are just sink holes, but rarely do they swallow a man alive while he's sitting in his bed.

Left brain link for the "why Florida gets sink holes"

http://www.dep.state.fl.us/geology/geologictopics/sinkhole.htm

Right brain link on sink holes:

http://www.swfwmd.state.fl.us/hydrology/sinkholes/



So...next time you debate how safe it is to go to Miami and the related SE coast cities and think the West Coast of Florida is so much "safer" ...think again....

Besos Bobbi

Ps... I have a strong chance of snow flakes later this week... I better see snow flakes.... cause I'm gonna be an unhappy camper if people in Florida see snow before I do...  and haha those people who ran down there for warm sunshine, how do you like it now?  And, may I say Florida with a strong NW wind in winter may be sunny ...but it gets VERY cold...  I remember one winter I went down to Key West and a Blue Norther came through and..........couldn't find socks anywhere, was freezing.. but having having fun like always...