Hurricane Harbor: Why People Follow Online Weather Sites and Blogs. Because Weather Happens in Real Time FAST.... Like Today... Strong Squall Line Races Across FL. Watch GOM BOC for Early Tropical Trouble

Learn to watch this loop above.

It's on Spaghetti Models or you can find the link.

Note the mass of color in the Western GOM?

Note the massive convection that slammed into Florida today?

This set up will continue for a while.

It's very possible this set up could produce a named storm..

...before June 1st as in during May.

Sooner rather than later.

https://spaghettimodels.com/

Nothing today but... nasty weather.

Link below shows how active, busy and nasty it is today.

http://en.blitzortung.org/live_lightning_maps.php?map=30

This link above shows you real time lightning and you can follow it over time to see where the strongest energy is and what is happening live in real time. Note weather happens live in real time and too often the official forecast has to constantly change and be updated to stay on top of fast changing weather events not expected to be as strong as they play out in real time. Today was that sort of day in the Tampa Bay area as well as a good part of Central and Northern Florida.

I looked at the radar and satellite imagery, then I went to my App and the NWS site and it showed some chances for rain and possible thunder. I kept watching the satellite loop evolve in real time and kept checking to see if they changed the forecast. Eventually they had to post a Tornado Warning and a Severe Thunderstorm Warning.

Note five hours earlier Mike put this out on Twitter and on Facebook we were chatting about the high chance for strong weather as the convection in the Eastern Gulf of Mexico was flaring up fast, out right exploding.

My husband literally looked up and asked what all that noise was...

I told him "storms over Florida"

Three hours ago we were talking on this and yeah I hate that Twitter doesn't have an edit button but that's my tweet from back then. I also hate that we have to play catch up too often with evolving, dangerous weather. The NWS that I respect greatly does and they update in real time. This morning they showed Monday as the day with sun in Raleigh and now it shows Tuesday also but that could change. True the NHC has way more pressure on them to be correct three to five days out and I still think going with seven days out is a bit much as it's a wide margin of error and often people only remember the first discussion and set of graphics. People need to understand weather forecasts are not set in stone they are "forecasts" and not post storm analysis.

Yes this time of year is hard to forecast exactly.

But your life depends on staying on top of the weather.

And that is where reliable online sites you have learned to trust...

...are useful and an excellent source of news.

Often before the NWS cuts in warning you of a Tornado Warning.

That escalated fast!

Mike went live... of course.

Trees looking like a hurricane briefly.

Lightning slicing a path down near his car.

And people on bikes riding along trapped in the storm.

Trapped in the very sudden storm.

Great picture his daughter got...

Jr. Storm Chaser.

We train them young in Florida!

But seriously.........

This is why people watch Mike and others.

This is why people tell me they read my blog.

This is why most of my family watches Mike.

I'm usually writing or tweeting and see them there...

...following along on a Facebook Live

This is why people ask me who they should "follow" online.

Come hurricane season there are other sites.

Sites that specialize in hurricanes.

www.hurricanecity.com

www.flhurricane.com

Excellent site all year ... a pay for service.

www.crownweather.com

Then there are regional sites I'll list later this month.

Find a site that covers your weather.

Always check with NWS and NHC.

But in today's world you can watch the radar yourself.

Watch the radar yourself!

You'll know warnings might be posted soon.

Hurricane Season may come early this year.

May and June we watch close in...

Gulf of Mexico... all areas.

Either side of Florida can pop with tropical storms.

Cranky on Twitter explains this well...

When I say this I mean the set up...

Tropical moisture pulled North.

The High in place.

Large High pressure setting up already.

That favors development in the GOM..

..especially in the BOC in the Western GOM.

DaBuh going out on a limb....

... he has great instincts.

He knows loops and waves...

Both tropical and the kind to surf.

Do NOT go by the Calendar.

Mother Nature often ignores those made up dates.

They are averages across time.

Rainy Season starts early sometimes.

May Monsoons start early in May vs late in May.

Storms form before June 1st.

Learn what you need to do to be prepared.

Every NWS in Hurricane Country is giving out info this week.

Example Key West area has seminars.

Many still available.

https://www.regions.noaa.gov/secar/index.php/highlights/announcing-the-2019-resilience-webinar-series/

Knowledge is power. You can prepare for Hurricane Season. Do it now. Use today as a good lesson that the NHC had to deal with Tropical Disturbance 1 (as they called it) popping up on May 1st.

See y'all online.... only way you can reason with Hurricane Season is to learn how to prepare for it.

https://www.weather.gov/wrn/hurricane-preparedness