Back From the Beach. Models Whisper Southern Snow. Pet Peeve about 1926 Miami Hurricane. Florida History. Weather Thoughts.

Yeah yeah it loves to promise snow late in the 10 day.

Other apps do it too.... it's model driven of course.

So we have a snowy jigsaw puzzle.

Keep watching.

Chick lives in the Sandhills.

Usually they have a slimmer chance than Raleigh.

Roxboro has the best chances usually.

Okay I'm home and the first thing to greet me this morning was the possibility of snow on my various weather apps. I use them but I don't trust them that much but it's a cheap thrill more a game than anything else. "What does the weather app show for the next 10 days" and come on we all do it because if you are reading this blog you are probably slightly obsessed with the weather. Any forecast beyond the five day to me is still iffy though I tend to trust the seven day a bit more. 10 days is speculation and innuendo and means as Brad says the pattern is favorable!

I'll wait to see what Wes in Raleigh says and Allan who is also in the Raleigh area over the next few days while adjusting to the cold night time temperatures again. Being into weather means that you check the weather often when making plans to celebrate events. This past weekend was a 10 year anniversary of sorts and I was debating whether to spend it in the Raleigh area or maybe drive to Charlotte or up to Highpoint but after checking the long range weather models I felt there was a good possibility we could pull off going to Myrtle Beach and the weather would be almost summer like if things fell into place. Again, what Chick said, it's a puzzle with pieces still falling into place when you watch the models. A suggestion of 72 degrees in Raleigh for Sunday was nice but a suggestion of similar temperatures at the beach if only the front would push through and clear out a good week's worth of gray skies and rainy days. Honestly did not see the sun for a week after getting back from Miami last week; after a while it does get to you I have to be honest and I don't generally mind a few rainy days. After an extremely beautiful sunset in Myrtle Beach's Broadway on the Beach I fell asleep to howling wind and woke up to this pristine, beautiful, incredible #nofilter sunrise with venus shining down on me. The last vestiges of clouds can be seen at the bottom of the horizon. Seen many beautiful sunrises in Myrtle Beach and other beaches but nothing like that.

I have blue skies outside out beyond the pine trees.

Carolina pines and Carolina Blue skies.

Winter in Raleigh when the sun shines.

Stu Ostro is good to follow.

He's one of the best.

Met him at some Hurricane Center event once.

He knows his stuff :)

This is a perfect example of an annular hurricane.

With that big, wide, perfectly round eye.

Wondering if that eye is bigger than the state of Rhode Island.

Possibly. Awesome and very far away.

A very strong February hurricane in the Pacific.

Strong and rare even for the Pacific.

Speaking of Hurricanes.

One of my biggest pet peeves is this:

"The 1926 Miami Hurricane killed the Boom"

No it did not.

I've written articles for Miami History magazines.

Researched endlessly with Dr. Paul George.

The Miami 1926 Hurricane hurt Miami.

But Miami was down for the count earlier that year.

The much awaited 1926 Winter Season was a BUST!

Bad press on true news stories flooded the national media.

New laws were put into place to stop bad real estate deals.

Binder Boys were flipping swamp land by the hour.

Binder Boys were in all the Boom Towns.

Both sides of the Florida Coast.

But they flourished in Miami.

https://www.heraldtribune.com/news/20150301/1920s-boom-not-a-walk-in-the-park

Real Estate practices then basically were like buying stock back when in that you could buy Florida Real Estate (not built on yet and often under water still) for a mere percentage of the price and that deal could be "flipped" and turned over ten times in an hour on mere speculation. Some of those subdivisions such as Coral Gables did get built, but many did not and people (tourists are people too) were swindled out of money by those hoping to make good money. New regulations were passed putting an end to the "Binder Boys" period ... a name mostly for their style of clothes they wore that were popular in the roaring 20s and their buying land on a binder... a wing and a prayer method that made them rich for a while. 

A huge ship named the Prins Valdemar capsized in a winter storm and ended up blocking the "turning harbor" that ships used to get into Miami and offload their lumber that was the fuel for the housing boom; without lumber it was hard to build houses and it was equally as hard to get other merchandise and people into the Magic City. Being Miami after they finally were able to get it up they hauled it over to the nearby docks and eventually turned it into a floating restaurant and party venue popular in Miami. Only in Miami does the problem get sold as a tourist attraction.

Add in two railroad strikes put a halt to the flow of money and people.

I mean in WINTER of 1926 you could not get to Miami for trying.

And you could not get building supplies or merchandise in either.

And the National Media now knew about the land swindles.

Florida Real Estate = Selling Swamp Land suddenly..

But oh what a time it was in the Roaring 20s.

Miami was a real paradise.

Before the ship capsized and the trains stopped running.

And the Media had a field day with the Binder Boys.

And then came the 1926 Miami Hurricane.

The Smithsonian does history.

But they should tell the whole story.

But hey it's more dramatic to blame it on the Hurricane.

And it is incredibly great footage.

It's fake in that the real footage was not in color.

But think of it as a colorized sequel :)

The hurricane gave Miami focus.

They cleaned up, rebuilt and were open again by 1927.

In the same way all the blue tarps from Irma are gone...

...and new construction is everywhere.

Hurricanes are a meteorological form of gentrification.

5 years after Hurricane Andrew....

... Homestead and Cutler Ridge property was worth way more.

People sold and left, real estate deals were everywhere.

Expensive construction with pools and higher price tags.

And the beat goes on .... 

North Carolina is beer country.

Beer is good on a rainy day.

Going to the beach is better when the sun comes out.

And the temperature is forecast to climb to 73!

And that is the beauty of Raleigh.

You can drive up to the mountains...

....or down to the beach.

Or just hang out in Raleigh.

But will it snow in Raleigh soon?

I'll be watching ...

But this week is mild temps and cold nights.

Works for me.

A little note here in that if we do get Carolina snow it's worth remembering some trees have early leaves and some trees are covered in early blossoms and a wet, messy snow will put pressure on those trees and I'm not even talking on the possibility of ice. So when things bloom early it's beautiful to see but it has a secondary threat if snow falls when flowers are on the trees and red maples already have new red leaves unfurling in the Carolina Blue sunlight.

And in about a month of so we will be worrying on pollen popping. Yep... Carolina has lots of seasons; summer, fall, winter, spring and pollen season!

Besos BobbiStorm

@bobbistorm on Twitter and Instagram.

Ps.... if you keep listening to that hurricane video on the 1926 the really chilling story is told on the 1935 Labor Day Hurricane. If you listen to the first hand survivors you will know it was not your average "storm surge" but truly a tidal wave that washed over the Florida Keys as the construction of the railroad created dams that early Florida author and ecologist warned against building that way but he was ignored and what he said would happen did happen and Florida Bay sucked the storm surge in the Atlantic over the railroad and the Florida Keys in one huge tidal wave that washed the train off the tracks and washing people out to sea. 

Carolina. Flooding From the Beaches to Charlotte .. Still Raining in Wilmington. Roads Closed. I94 I40 and multiple small roads. Stay Home. Stay Safe. Visit Carolina In Your Mind. #CarolinaStrong. Thoughts from Carolina on Florence.

Carolina is kind of closed today to travel.

This is the detour suggested.

Seriously.

This is why.

Florence is still here.

Caught in dead steering currents.

The death toll rises.

Trapped between High Pressure systems.

Pumping tropical moisture up over the Carolinas.

And parts of Virginia..

Look at her tail.

Hanging there.

Feeding her while she's way inland now.

Link to Road Travel Info for North Carolina.

Basically reads "Just don't!!"

https://tims.ncdot.gov/tims/

So not going to give you advisory information today or discussion from the NHC. I'm going to tell you about Florence from my perspective as I live here in Raleigh, safe from flooding and my power is blessedly on and I'm feeling #CarolinaStrong today. Grateful we are okay, sad people have died and mesmerized by the plight of people in flooded towns and in awe of the people who are helping rescue and evacuate people as I write this blog this Sunday morning.

When driving home to North Carolina from what used to be home in Florida you hit this moment when you finally leave I-95 and turn onto I-40 and you feel almost there.. almost home, almost back in the Triangle. When you get to the I-440 you KNOW you hang a right and you made it back home. You see to get to Raleigh you have to get off of I-95 and hang a left at I-40 and it's there you say fairwell to I-95 and hello to the Piedmont as the land begins to rise and things begin to change. I-95 is the dividing line for culture, for the type of BBQ sauce you use in the Carolinas and that stretch of the highway is often flooded when a hurricane comes through the part of the North State known as Down East. The Carolinas are divided at that fork in the road as "East of 95" and "West of 95" more than the actual state boundaries that run from West to East. Today that stretch of road is closed. Here's a map of I-40 and you can see how vital an artery it is to the people of North Carolina.

I-40 is the road we take in Raleigh to get down to Wilmington and the beach beyond at Wrightsville. I-40 is the road we take to drive West to the mountains to see the beauty of Asheville. And for those traveling through to Tennessee they take I-40 straight into Knoxville as they drive across the mountains marveling at Mother Nature's beauty. It is filled with small towns along the way where people live and and work. In Raleigh we travel I-40 on the weekend for dinner in Greensboro or down in Wilmington to eat somewhere at Riverwalk and watch the sun set over the Cape Fear River before heading back on I-40 to life in Raleigh in the middle of the state.  I-95 may be one of the nation's major arteries but understand that I-40 is our vein.. it's our backbone in North Carolina. It's a little bit crooked as it hangs a right down past Raleigh and runs SW down to the beaches but it's how we get where we are going.

Drone footage. New Bern.

You do have to get off of I-40 to go to New Bern.

It's a trip worth taking.

But it will be a while before that happens...

Today in North Carolina few people are going anywhere unless they are reporters, a First Responder or a volunteer helping out somewhere. In Raleigh it's raining and we are watching Crabtree Creek hoping it doesn't rise much more. In Charlotte they are beginning to deal with flooding and power outages. Down East there are new lakes everywhere covering whole towns, roads to those towns and bridges that were taken out by moving water. This does happen once in a while in North Carolina but people here are strong, they help each other and life goes on as we begin to move towards Autumn and the cleanup that will continue on and on from Florence. It's a beautiful state on so many levels, truly from the beaches and the marsh land down by the coast to where it gently rises in the Piedmont and all the way up into the mountains.

Mother Nature is kind to us with the seasons that are longer in the Spring and Fall than most places and a short winter usually. If we are lucky we get a taste of winter and get to see snow falling more than once or twice, but on rare occasions you have to take the rain along with the sunshine. We will have had our share or rain this week and I'm looking forward to Wednesday when the sun is forecast to come out again in Raleigh but I'll believe it when I see it.

http://origin.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/basicwx/allfcsts_loop_ndfd.gif a link if the loop don't work..

Where does Florence go next? Well that's a question you don't really wanna be asking. In theory she feels the pull of a dipping frontal boundary, pulls North over Western North Carolina and heads up towards the Northeast. There are some odd models that show her bouncing back with a harder right trying to get back to the ocean that she loves and possibly spinning up again, but I'll spare you all those images just yet until the next model run comes out. Suffice it to say it is possible there could be some strange things happening, but we can hope the frontal boundary dives more than dips and grabs Florence and takes her away.

Another link for the 7 day if you want to look out that far...

https://www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/basicwx/day0-7loop.html

As for Isaac... keep watching.
Just in case.

Ouch those models climb in intensity.

As for Helene and Joyce...

..not our problem.

Those images are from Spaghetti Models.

www.spaghettimodels.com

A look at Mike's always wonderful Spaghetti Models gives you all the links you need to follow the rising water, tropics and general weather information you need to know. Note the cone of Flo has bent a bit more to the East than it was before when they took it up into Ottawa. Always watch the trend in the cone. I'll write more on this later if I feel the need to make you worry unnecessarily about what could spin up close in from leftover moisture in Florence's tail. The models are on the top left of his page, if you feel the need feel free to go ahead and click on those models but don't say I didn't warn ya!

https://www.facebook.com/mikesweatherpage/

Anyone who has a problem with Mike is just jealous or got up on the wrong side of their bed way too often and needs an attitude readjustment. He is as we say Down South "good people" "good folk" ... a good guy. Mike is how we roll during the Hurricane Season or any season as he covers more than just the tropics. He drove his daughters (and his wife) up to North Florida to see snow falling last year from Tampa, he is that sort of father that any child would want to have....  he deserves an award.

Many people deserve an award from the NWS offices in every city along the way to the NHC but  especially in Wilmington where they spent the night posting Tornado Warnings for the area as Florence refuses to let up and leave the area. If you don't believe me check out their Twitter Feed. They are like what the Postal Service used to be, they never rest, they never sleep.

https://twitter.com/NWSWilmingtonNC

So what next? The rains from Florence will move West and with that long awaited movement we may be taking the drama of Florence up into the mountains where orographic lift can cause even more misery up in mountain communities. I know you learned about that in school but it was a long time ago so here's a quick lesson in why we are so worried about what may come next. Basically it means that because of the terrain you can get more rain and snow out of a weather system than you might otherwise elsewhere.

Hoping and praying we don't have worst problems...

..down that tropical road.

Again leaving you this link below.

https://www.ourstate.com/the-deluge-of-1940/

Warning --- it's not for the faint of heart.

It's a detailed, well written article...

..about the harrowing details of a tragic flood.

Inland flooding. 1940.

After a hurricane got up into the mountains of NC.

Note that flood moved on to other places as well.

Weather happens.

History does repeat.

Each storm is different.

Floods happen.

Praying we don't see this happen.

Praying Flo decides she has had enough off the Carolinas.

Yeah we be down there under that dark red.

Florence's signature ...

...she came from Africa.

Across the ocean...

..and she doesn't wanna leave.

I'll leave y'all with this last piece of advice.

From the source that has worked round the clock.

Turn around, don't drown.

Stay home, read a book, bake something.

Call Uncle Joe.

The sun will come out Wednesday.

Lord have mercy have some patience.

Don't become a part of the problem.

Or God forbid a statistic.

Just wait it out...

Soon the State Fair will be here...

..leaves will begin to turn.

Starbucks has Pumpkin Spice Latte!

Good drink for a dark day like today.

I'll update as needed later on today.

My husband came home just now from morning services at the Temple with this piece of news. He heard "I-40 is closed all the way down to Wilmington and I-95 is out!" Yep, that's the news people are waking up to this morning in North Carolina. As for me I'm going to go offline, make some eggs and fake bacon cause I'm Kosher and yes that's a thing and have another cup of coffee. This hurricane has really been a watershed moment for me in time when I became more of a Carolinian than a Floridian, though I'm still holding onto those bragging rights as well. A few weeks before the hurricane the Miami Dolphins played my Carolina Panthers and I found myself yelling when we were pounding the Fins. For my friends back in Miami ..."sorry bout that" and I'll root for the Dolphins against any team except the Carolina Panthers #Keeppounding. Oh and I'll be watching the game later today when the Panthers play.

Everyone stay safe and honestly I have to tell you the Hurricane Season is NOT over. There should be a break in action for the next week or so as a huge pulse of Saharan Dust came off of Africa (yes they have an unlimited supply of that stuff) and Florence left a cool trail in the water along the coast off the Carolinas. There is a strong possibility of another large hurricane forming and affecting the East Coast and something possibly in the Gulf of Mexico before this hurricane season is in the books. Sorry but that's just life. After October or at the end of October it should be over and we are still sitting in prime time September with days to go before we don't have to worry on the tropics. But with every day we get that much closer to a cold front making it down past Virginia and dreams of snow falling from the sky. It's a ways off but we get there day by day. 

Look at SAL in September.

Go figure.

For the next week or so we watch the Gulf of Mexico for the slim possibility of something happening. Subtropical regions are keeping the forecasters busy this season as 2 other Tropical Storms are staying safely away from the East Coast. And, they are still busy with Florence.

Keep watching.

Hang in there.

I'll update later today at some point.

Maybe after 5 PM... 

Besos BobbiStorm

@bobbistorm on Twitter.

Ps... The name Florence WILL be retired from the Hurricane List.

We may see fire and we may see rain...

...but we won't see this name again.

If you want to go to Carolina today...

do it in your mind.

The roads will open again.
And we will be back in business.

#CarolinaStrong

UPDATED! 5 PM. Death Toll Rises to 5 from Florence... . Cajun Navy Doing Water Rescues in New Bern. Hurricane Florence Makes Landfall .. Moving Slowly Inland. Raining Now in Raleigh. New Bern Storm Surge Flooding 10 Feet. Rescues Ongoing. Wilmington Area Takes the Brunt of Florence. Where Does She Go Next? And In the End... NY LI SNE and Canada. Flash Flood Warnings. Tornado Warnings

5 PM.

"CATASTROPHIC FRESHWATER FLOODING EXPECTED OVER PORTIONS OF NORTH AND SOUTH CAROLINA...

This is the real problem with Florence.

Yes New Bern flooded ...

..Yes Wrightsville Beach took it hard.

And yes Wilmington was hit hard.

Now the real concern is the fresh water flooding.

If the forecast holds and it rains for days......

...while she moves slowly westward at 3 MPH..

Torrential rains will pound parts of NC/SC for days.

IF so the rivers will rise... 

..and there will be worse flooding than Matthew.

So I want to take you back to another M Hurricane.

Hurricane Mitch was huge and a Cat 5.

Late season hurricane in the Caribbean.

That happens, hopefully won't happen this year.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurricane_Mitch

The flooding that claimed the huge loss of life..

..was from inland flooding when he was a TS.

Inland as a Tropical Storm he moved barely at all.

Torrential rain, hills, mudslides, people died.

But this happened when he was a TS not a Cat 5.

So just because Florence is a TS... 

...don't let your guard down inland.

3 MPH...that's a crawl basically.

And as the topography rises inland.

Rains increase and floods become worse.

So stay vigilant.

Also we have tornado warnings currently.

And that should continue all night.

And tomorrow.

Doesn't look much different does it.

Good symmetry!

Good form.

Has a strong core.

Lower winds.

Lots of rain.

Stay tuned....

Leaving the video at the top.

As few waves have gone so far...

...at a high latitude approach to NC.

Amazing video really.

Came on just to share it.

Though I was thinking on posting this below.

Amazing ride and it's not over.

Besos BobbiStorm.

@bobbistorm on Twitter.

I'll update tomorrow evening.

For now going to take a rest.

And we will see what we will see!

Stay safe.

3 people died so far.

I heard 5 but waiting for confirmation.

By that time it could be higher.

Many are being rescued and in shelters.

Praying the rain totals don't verfiy.

Prayer is good but prepare as needed for the worst.

Follow the advice of your local government officials.

West at 5.

Now WSW.

Keep watching.

Also raining in Myrtle Beach as well now.

Pouring heavy in Raleigh now.

A friend lost power nearby.

Tree hit a transformer.

People here really need to understand......

...this is a long term event.

If you don't see the rain you will.

Rivers are cresting.

Towns are flooding.

Cajun Navy in New Bern.

Are they awesome or what?

People helping people.

Orientation of the High Pressure...

...should keep her West bound.

Taking the top side of the Cone perhaps.

Time will tell... 

Big blue band over Raleigh now.

A Flash Flood Warning has been issued for our area.

I'm not in an area that usually floods.

It's very dark out... ominous.

Note www.spaghettimodels.com has great links.

Webcams to storm chasers.

Different areas.

 Know this is only beginning.
Water rescues going on now.

Such a beautiful image below.

Great image here... 

Blue Hurricane...

..crawling her way towards landfall.

You can see the "center" well on this image.

Winds picking up in Raleigh by the way.

We are all watching her general movement..

..carefully with our own priorities.

The images later this week will be flooding.

Water rescues. Tornado damage.

Etc...

Severe damage in Wilmington.

Shown below.

General gust info from NC

She is over land.

Moving very slowly.

Her wind field below.

If you are inside those 2 sets of grids.

You will feel her wind.

Official NHC at 11 AM

Then Updated at Noon.

I waited til Noon to see any changes.

Picking up some speed at 6 MPH.

I'd say she is going west by radar.

Her movement is iffy.

Cranky explains why...

..storms often stair step.

Vs moving in a direct line.

By the way there may be some trouble...

...in the GOM later on down the roead.

Will deal with that after Flo is gone.

Again the tropics are busy ... 

It's not over til it's really over.

Florence has finally made landfall.

Shows you even at 5 MPH you can make landfall ...

...as long as you just keep going you get there.

She made landfall just South of Wilmington.

A community known as Myrtle Grove.

Some video from online.

You may want to subscribe to them.

Awake and watching Florence both on satellite imagery and out the window. She's far away still down by the coast and she has done a good deal of damage in New Bern and on Wrightsville Beach and the associated small beach towns near Wrightsville; remember please that Wrightsville is Wilmington's beach so it's one area separated by a small inlet usually filled with sailboats.  New Bern had the 4th lowest barometer reading they have recorded and the storm surge that flooded parts of downtown was 10 feet at least. They are still dealing with Florence and we will get more exact information throughout the day. The eye slipped South of Wilmington and came ashore near Myrtle Grove which is the area known as Masonboro Inlet. The map is below so you can see where exactly that is but understand the eye is a very small part of a large Category 1 Hurricane still winding down from being a Major Hurricane. This is not to hype Florence, it's to explain it's a different beast from a long term tropical storm that finally attained hurricane force wind.

Myrtle Grove is a suburb of Wilmington.

Again it's the part of NC...

..that looks like it should be in SC.

I spoke on this a few posts back... 

The state borders are a bit squirrelly.

Next we have New Bern.

The Neuse and James River come together there.

It's an inland harbor surrounded by water and forests. 

Pirates loved it back in the day.

It was the capital of NC back in the day.

It brought us Pepsi Cola...

..and it's filled with historical places.

They had a historical storm surge from Florence.

Over ten feet of water came up the river.

As there are hills there the hills are dry.

The lower areas down by the river...

..were under 10 feet of water.

North Carolina has many inlets cities such as New Bern.

The water pushes up the river...

...it becomes compressed and rushes inland..

As the storm presses towards land.

New Bern was on the North side of the eye.

Therefore the storm surge was high there.

Kind of what I feared would happen did.

Obviously I love New Bern.

This is the area you saw going under water on TV.

Note two things about this video.

Even on a quiet day the wind always blows.

She did the video in front of the flag.

Very North Carolina.

If you have read a Nicholas Sparks book...

...he lives there and gains inspiration from it's beauty.

This is the coastline.

Cape Fear and Cape Lookout jut out into the ocean.

So now what you wonder?

Good question.

At 10 AM:

That's what the NHC said.

They also said it doesn't really have an eye.

So I find it an odd "headline" from them.

Either it does or doesn't?

It has a center....

... sure there is an eye there somewhere.

Now....

The water begins to move inland.

It's currently moving 

Big bullseye over the SC/NC border.

And note the rainfall moves North.

After it moves W or WSW it moves North.

And up into the Pennsylvania region.

PA has had problems with flooding all summer.

The rains will be felt up in New York.

I'm guessing Canada may feel some as well.

This weather drama is far from over.

A patch of winds over Long Island and SNE.

Think on that a bit.

So the storm moves West to WSW.

Then pulls North near the mountains.

MTNS = more flooding in small towns

Then once back over water..

..it comes back to life again.

That's the forecast for now.

Obviously it won't be a Major Hurricane.

It might barely become a Tropical Storm.

Who knows for sure...

But it will be heavy rain and strong wind.

It came from Africa.

It's as if Florence doesn't want to stop traveling.

Part of Ottawa is in the cone.

So far the NHC doing a good job.

She slowed...

She's moving generally west now.

Sort of South of West.

Maybe WSW then West.

Then eventually.......

She swings NW and speeds up.

I want to make it clear here that it's hard to really judge a hurricane by one scale or one set of statistics. Academics love to slice and dice the storm into facts and figures and debate it's strength from far away in their safe rooms staring at the computer endlessly watching every small change in the shape of the hurricane. I worked in Academia as I ran a library for Touro College in Miami Beach and I know what Academia is and it's a bit removed from the real world. A nice place for people to live and work where they can spend endless hours studying, researching and get paid for it while teaching only a few classes a semester if at all. It's kind of like Oz. Some people love it and it was a good job and I enjoyed it. Storm Chasers are out in the elements with the wind stinging their face, listening to the howl of the hurricane winds and getting sandblasted often by sand picked up from the beach and caught in the wind. It's wild and I've done that too though to be honest talking Tropical Storms and Category 1 hurricanes vs huge Major Hurricanes, as a mother I had responsibilities obviously. One of the windiest storms I was out in was a Tropical Storm that made landfall yet it's winds were nonstop unrelenting for a few hours. Sometimes you get a hurricane and the squalls spin around and come in bands, but no that storm was like being in a wind tunnel. Every storm is different. I've seen hurricanes that weren't as strong as many tropical storms I was in and hurricanes that were wet and caused flooding and others like Andrew raced through leaving barely any traces of rain. Hurricane Irene in Miami was all about the rain.

They keep telling me the rain is coming. I'll believe it when I see it. The weather almost always goes around Raleigh. The snowstorms slide by just to the North and hurricanes slide by to the South of Offshore by the Outer Banks. Time will tell. We have watches up of all kind from a tornado watch to a flash flood warning, as well as we are expecting some Tropical Storm force winds. It's very quiet here and then suddenly it isn't. It's dark and the clouds are moving by very fast and here and there the winds pick up and small twigs and branches from big oak trees go flying in the wind and then........it's quiet again. There are tornadoes in her bands, heavy rain that will come down over the next 48 hours. This is a slow motion disaster not a fast moving Major Hurricane, time will tell how bad it is and where and who gets the worst of the flooding. For now watching and I'll update throughout the day. It just got really dark outside and it's pouring in Raleigh. 

On quiet nice days in New Bern.