Hurricane watch issued for the Florida Keys, please pray
Articles / In The News
Date: Sep 18, 2005 - 03:34 PM
|
 |
|
Hurricane watch issued for the Florida Keys, please pray
Forecasters issued a hurricane watch this morning for the Florida Keys as a tropical system near the Bahamas grew stronger and approached the region.
Watches or warnings could be issued for Miami-Dade and Broward counties later today. They already covered the Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos islands.
''Interests elsewhere in South Florida, as well as central and western Cuba, should closely monitor the progress of this system,'' said forecaster Richard Knabb of the National Hurricane Center in West Miami-Dade County.
Officials in the Keys said they were closely monitoring developments and might have to issue ''various directives'' later today, presumably including some form of evacuation order.
''All residents and visitors in the Florida Keys need to pay close attention to Tropical Depression 18 and be prepared to take quick action to respond, if necessary,'' said a statement issued by a Monroe County spokesman at 9:20 a.m.
A hurricane watch means that hurricane conditions are possible within the watch area, generally within 36 hours. Forecasters predicted that the system would become a Category 1 hurricane before its center passes just south of Key West on Tuesday.
The tropical depression was predicted to grow into Tropical Storm Rita later today and continue strengthening as it moves closer to South Florida.
Though the center of the storm was expected to pass south of the Florida Keys and the rest of South Florida, forecasters predicted periods of heavy rain and gusty winds beginning Monday afternoon and persisting through Wednesday.
Two to four inches of rain could fall in the Florida Keys and Miami-Dade County by midweek, with somewhat lesser amounts farther north in Broward County, forecasters said.
''This is the time you should be paying attention,'' said Michelle Mainelli, a meteorologist at the hurricane center. ``There's no reason to panic, but at this point in the hurricane season, everyone should have a plan in place.''
The forecast track carried the center of the system over the southeastern Bahamas, through the Florida Straits -- between Key West and Cuba -- and eventually west into the Gulf of Mexico, with a possible landfall along the Gulf Coast of Mexico or Texas.
The early part of that track would bring the center close to South Florida, and forecasters emphasized that the storm could deviate from the projected path.
In any event, squalls that surround the center and usually are most intense along the right side of it are likely to reach South Florida.
At its closest approach to the region -- on Tuesday -- the system was expected to have maximum sustained winds of 80 mph.
Meanwhile, Tropical Storm Philippe grew stronger in the distant Atlantic, where it posed no immediate threat to land.
|
 |
|
Hurricane watch issued for the Florida Keys, please pray
Forecasters issued a hurricane watch this morning for the Florida Keys as a tropical system near the Bahamas grew stronger and approached the region.
Watches or warnings could be issued for Miami-Dade and Broward counties later today. They already covered the Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos islands.
''Interests elsewhere in South Florida, as well as central and western Cuba, should closely monitor the progress of this system,'' said forecaster Richard Knabb of the National Hurricane Center in West Miami-Dade County.
Officials in the Keys said they were closely monitoring developments and might have to issue ''various directives'' later today, presumably including some form of evacuation order.
''All residents and visitors in the Florida Keys need to pay close attention to Tropical Depression 18 and be prepared to take quick action to respond, if necessary,'' said a statement issued by a Monroe County spokesman at 9:20 a.m.
A hurricane watch means that hurricane conditions are possible within the watch area, generally within 36 hours. Forecasters predicted that the system would become a Category 1 hurricane before its center passes just south of Key West on Tuesday.
The tropical depression was predicted to grow into Tropical Storm Rita later today and continue strengthening as it moves closer to South Florida.
Though the center of the storm was expected to pass south of the Florida Keys and the rest of South Florida, forecasters predicted periods of heavy rain and gusty winds beginning Monday afternoon and persisting through Wednesday.
Two to four inches of rain could fall in the Florida Keys and Miami-Dade County by midweek, with somewhat lesser amounts farther north in Broward County, forecasters said.
''This is the time you should be paying attention,'' said Michelle Mainelli, a meteorologist at the hurricane center. ``There's no reason to panic, but at this point in the hurricane season, everyone should have a plan in place.''
The forecast track carried the center of the system over the southeastern Bahamas, through the Florida Straits -- between Key West and Cuba -- and eventually west into the Gulf of Mexico, with a possible landfall along the Gulf Coast of Mexico or Texas.
The early part of that track would bring the center close to South Florida, and forecasters emphasized that the storm could deviate from the projected path.
In any event, squalls that surround the center and usually are most intense along the right side of it are likely to reach South Florida.
At its closest approach to the region -- on Tuesday -- the system was expected to have maximum sustained winds of 80 mph.
Meanwhile, Tropical Storm Philippe grew stronger in the distant Atlantic, where it posed no immediate threat to land.
|
|
This article comes from World's Largest Prayer Board Annointed.net News
http://www.annointed.net/
The URL for this story is:
http://www.annointed.net/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=936
|
|