Garage your car - Billion dollar storm coming .....

[Trulyvintage]

Be prepared folks ....

" "The Perfect Storm only did $200 million of damage and I'm thinking a billion," said Jeff Masters,

meteorology director of the private service Weather Underground. "Yeah, it will be worse."

Click Here ... Billion Dollar Storm ?

Jim

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[DAVE A]

Ahhhh yes, meteorology, the only career where you can be wrong 90 % of the time and keep your job. I don't know, maybe it is just a product of getting older, but it seems to me that in my younger days, I would watch a forecast days in advance and it was right most of the time. Now, it seems that they can't get it right the day before!! I have been watching the long range forecast for Hilton Head for the first weekend of November for the past 2 weeks. It has changed every other day and ranged from cool and raining to sunny and 80 degrees. I thought all our modern technology would make these forecasts more accurate!!!

[Bhigdog]

Yeah, Yeah, Yeah. Remember the "Perfect winter storm" prediction for the East a few years back. Fcsts for a 100% chance of major accumulations of up 4 feet. BFD, we got exactly 1 inch.........Bob

[Shop Rat]

The guy that shoes my horses, he is a retired Colonel of the W. Va. Army/Air National Guard (he served both branches in his job) calls meteorologists "weather guessers".

In 1977 our Governor in W. Va., Jay Rockefeller, put out warnings about a storm our weather folks had told him about. It didn't happen. Many have not let him live it down. The very next year...we got buried by a storm that was worse than the one that had been predicted the year before. The people that had laughed at him and his efforts to keep people safe weren't prepared because they thought it would "blow over" and not happen just like the last time.

Better to be prepared and not need to than to not be prepared and get slammed. It happened here folks.

[joe_padavano]

OH MY GAWD!

Is it me, or does the media now find it necessary to sensationalize EVERY SINGLE weather event? Since when do snowstorms merit 24/7 coverage on local TV stations? Are media outlets that hard up for viewers/readers? Actually, I think the answer to that question is "yes". In any event, all need to re-read the story about the boy who cried "wolf"...

[ply33]

OH MY GAWD!

Is it me, or does the media now find it necessary to sensationalize EVERY SINGLE weather event? Since when do snowstorms merit 24/7 coverage on local TV stations? Are media outlets that hard up for viewers/readers? Actually, I think the answer to that question is "yes". In any event, all need to re-read the story about the boy who cried "wolf"...

Years ago I lived in an area prone to wild fires. I gave up on local broadcast news when we had a fire and I really wanted to know something substantive, like where the fire lines were and where the fire was moving to. All they showed were repeats of helicopter shots of burning houses. Wonderful for the entertainment of people who did not live in the area .Worthless for people who actually needed or wanted to be informed.

So now I call it "infotainment" rather than "news". It applies not only to any unusual weather, predicted or actual, but to everything the local stations carry. They are, after all, in the business of making money. To do that they need paying advertisers and to get those they need viewers. And viewers are much easier to get and hold with things that are or can be portrayed in a sensational manner. Home invasion robberies and gory accidents even if they occur thousands of miles away are fair game for "local" news if nothing closer is available. Heaven forbid they carry news that will actually affect peoples lives, like local county or city business, because it would be so boring they'd lose viewers. National broadcast news is not much more informative either, been a long down hill slope since networks stopped thinking about news as a public service and more as a profit center.

With respect to weather forecasts, I find the "discussion" section on the NOAA weather local forecast web site to be very useful: A lot of jargon but the actual forecaster makes the post and says why he or she made the forecast they did. If all their models line up, then the forecast is likely to be pretty accurate. If they mention that the models are trending in different directions, you know that their forecast is not as accurate and that they've posted it because the 4 AM or 4 PM deadline for posting had to be met.

Edited October 25, 2012 by ply33 (see edit history)

[Guest Skyking]

Yesterday's forecast for here was sunny and in the sixties. Well it's cloudy and in the lower 50's. They can't get it right the same day it's forecast. And to think, Global Warming is coming................

If you look at different stations, they have so many paths this storm is heading for, it's almost dizzy to look at.

[keiser31]

The sky is falling....the sky is falling....

[Guest]

Yesterday's forecast for here was sunny and in the sixties. Well it's cloudy and in the lower 50's. They can't get it right the same day it's forecast. And to think, Global Warming is coming................

If you look at different stations, they have so many paths this storm is heading for, it's almost dizzy to look at.

No..... Global warming is here they say, this makes it easier to forgive forecast results that don't pan out. Three of our local TV stations weather people on the same day will make totally different predictions..and then you have the Weather channel for your fourth prediction. You can't convince me that there isn't a agenda to weather prediction. The type of coverage the stations put out with the added twist to the cause. Every time something bad happens it's global warming's fault. Every time we get large surf and high tides ( something I as a surfer have witnessed for over fifty years ) and peoples beach front homes are destroyed ( and these people get disaster assistance to rebuild in the same spot!! ) the news casters all blame it on global warming. Fifty years ago we didn't know it was global warming...Just something that happens when you build in a home in a stupid spot so you can have that view and when all the things come together, high tide, large Pacific storms and the ten year cycle of large sun spot activity these things happen. For the last seventy+ years many of us surfers use these factors to get ready for the big day or a big week. It always comes. It's nothing new and has always been in some form or another. The earth is always in a state of flux so I say relax and enjoy it. You know there was much more co2 content when the dinosaurs were running about, and there was a large sea in the middle of the country where the Mississippi river divides the country. Stop trying to hold the earth in a steady state. It can't be done.

Edited October 26, 2012 by helfen (see edit history)

[Ron Green]

Yeah, Yeah, Yeah. Remember the "Perfect winter storm" prediction for the East a few years back. Fcsts for a 100% chance of major accumulations of up 4 feet. BFD, we got exactly 1 inch.........Bob

I remember that forecast. It was guaranteed 2’minimum.

Even the caterpillars were furriery than usual with thicker black rings and Punxsutawney Phil woke up and moved to another borrow.

[smithbrother]

In Indy, it used to be NEWS, WEATHER, & SPORTS. Now it is WEATHER, a tad of NEWS, then more WEATHER, then a bit more news, back to WEATHER, and they are scared to death to give you a FORECAST for FEAR you will flip the channel. They only give the long range forecast at the end of 30 minutes. Sometimes just before a SHORT sports spot.

I have counted up to 8 WEATHER bits within the 30 minutes of news.

I complained, and they said, WE ARE AN AWARD WINNING STATION, that was it.

Dale in Indy

Edited October 25, 2012 by MCHinson (see edit history)

[joe_padavano]

I complained, and they said, WE ARE AN AWARD WINNING STATION, that was it.

Dale in Indy

Sadly, I'm sure they are. There's a reason why shows like Jersey Shore and Real Housewives of Podunk are top hits. The general public are idiots.

[Guest Bill Miller]

It's worse than that overseas. In Italy a panel of judges just last week convicted 6 seismologist scientists of CRIMINAL charges for failing to adequately predict and advise the public of an upcoming earthquake. The earthquake did occur and caused significant damage and loss of life but whoever heard of being able to accurately predict these things when they can't even get the weather right beyond maybe a 10-hour time span if you're lucky. Maybe the meteorologists over here are now going to be afraid of being sued or even held accountable criminally and so will dramatize their forecasts even more with lots and lots of red and orange colors on their TV screen maps to scare the hell out of old people who are paranoid enough as it is.

[john2dameron]

I have the same respect for weather forcasts as I do for political ads and debates. The weather people can't tell us what is going to happen; the politicians can't remember what has already happened. If it was something halfway good they forget they did not do it; if it is something embarassing they forget they did do it. I can't understand how 535 people with alzheimers disease can run the country.

[auburnseeker]

I ask every person that stops at my shop if they have a place to keep an old car undercover when they say they want to get one. If they say no, I tell them that's the first thing you need to figure out. Under a tarp in the backyard just wont cut it unless that's for super short term. That beautiful old car will be a pile of rust needing everything in a few years. We've all seen it. Everything I have is undercover. Maybe you can get away with it out west or in the desert but here in the north east, advanced decay sets in pretty fast.

[Bhigdog]

Folks around here are starting to get serious. Tractor supply is sold out of generators, Walmart out of candles and lamp oil, lines at the gas pumps, and I'm pretty sure no bread or milk on the store shelves. Gotta admit I checked my readiness. Both vehicles full, check. Generator gas, 20 gals, check. Candles and lamp oil, check. Batteries, check. Ammo check. Beer, check. Wine, check. Cigars, check. Tomorrow we bring the horses from the lower pasture to the barn and check the generator. Let er rip....................Bob

[Trulyvintage]

The sky is falling....the sky is falling....

Yeah, if you live along the path of this hurricane, it very well may be ....

20 deaths or more attributed to this hurricane so far ...

Hardly a diversion by the media for an election ....

Live tracking here Hurricane Tracker: View the 2012 storms - Weather | NBC News

Saturday 10:00 a.m. EST

" The hurricane has killed at least 20 people in the Caribbean, and just left the Bahamas. It is expected to move north, just off the Eastern Seaboard.

As of Friday morning, federal forecasters were looking closer at the Delaware shore as the spot it will turn inland and merge with a wintry storm front. But there is a lot of room for error in the forecast and the storm could turn into shore closer to New York and New Jersey and bring the worst weather there.

Wherever Sandy comes ashore will get 10 inches of rain and extreme storm surges, Louis Uccellini, NOAA's environmental prediction director, said in a Friday news conference. Other areas not directly on Sandy's entry path will still get 4 to 8 inches of rain, maybe more, he said. Up to 2 feet of snow should fall on West Virginia, with lighter snow in parts of Ohio and Pennsylvania, regardless of where Sandy first hits.

A wide swath of the East, measuring several hundreds of miles, will get persistent gale-force winds in the 50 mph area, with some areas closer to storm landfall getting closer to 70 mph, said James Franklin, forecast chief for the National Hurricane Center. "

Sandy regains Hurricane status; 'Frankenstorm' looms

Jim

Edited October 27, 2012 by Trulyvintage
Update storm progress (see edit history)

[joe_padavano]

Folks around here are starting to get serious. Tractor supply is sold out of generators, Walmart out of candles and lamp oil, lines at the gas pumps, and I'm pretty sure no bread or milk on the store shelves.

Yeah, so what? Here in the DC area, that happens before every over-hyped snowstorm. Hint: You'll be able to find cheap generators with low hours on Craigslist by next weekend.

[joe_padavano]

20 deaths or more attributed to this hurricane so far ...

Yeah, in third-world countries with little preparedness. Friday's Washington Post had a front-page photo from Cuba of a 1950s vintage car (sorry, I could not identify it) driving along the beach in front of large storm-driven waves. If people are killed doing stunts like that, it's evolution, not the severity of the storm. Besides, driving that car through salt water doesn't bode well when they are finally allowed to sell them back to the US.

[dbirchmire]

This is a very serious and life threatening situation for us in South Jersey. As of 8:00 pm the hurricane's path is projected to come up the Delaware bay following the Del. river right past Pennsville N.J. where we live. Winds could be up to 85 mph with the total rain fall of 5 to 10 inches. We have done everything we can to secure the house and the cars. We might have to evacuate by Sun. night. Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers. Thanks,

Dave & Sue

[Marty Roth]

Having been through too many Hurricanes and other lesser storms with far too much damage to life and property, Dale and I can sympathize with those in the path of potential damage.

Protect what you can, and then get yourselves and loved ones to a safer location.

While we want to hang onto our stuff, "things" (even cars) can be replaced, Friends cannot !

Dave, and the many others in the path of ths storm, we will keep you in our thoughts.

[Marty Roth]

Try to move your cars to a high-rise garage.

Pack your important papers - Deeds, Titles, Birth Certificate, Passport-

Medications

Jewelry - our home was looted after Katrina

Take family photo albums with you - irreplaceable

In case of flooding - take stuff off of the floors and place on shelves.

Freeze a plastic cup of ice in the freezer, and place a penny on it - then put all freezer contents in sealed plastic bags. If the penny is still on top on your return, then the power was not off too long and the food is still good, but if the penny has sunk, then throw away the food bags (they defrosted and re-froze) but you will not have to junk the fridge/freezer like we did (you would never get rid of the smell of rotten food).

Make a contact list with cell phone #s of friends and family - and establist an individual as a center of contact.

Gather anything which could blow around your yard (Trash cans, lids, etc,), and put it inside, or at least tied down securely, or it will go through your bay window and the storm will be in your home!

Unplug anything electronic to be safe from surge.

[Dave@Moon]

I think we all wish Dave and everyone else in the path of this storm the best. Our thoughts will be with them, and a lot more than many believe, for a long time.

Of even more concern are the inland populations of PA, VA, and MD. The current projects, which are remarkably consistent among models, predict at least 5 inches of rain in all of PA (with up to 10" over large areas) and the surrounding eastern states. By comparison Hurricane Anges in 1972 dumped 7-10 inches of rain in the same area. Inland flooding is almost certain (Stay out of the Yellow Field!!!:eek:). Winds are expected to be damaging at up to 70 mph (with downed tree limbs, etc.), and 10'-20' waves on top of the storm surge are gong to be bad news on the coast. However it is the precipitation numbers that are most disquieting.

And if it doesn't come true, so what? Of course it'll be a relief, and I'm sure a bunch of armchair meteorologists will assert their superior intellects. But wouldn't you rather be prepared for something that doesn't happen than try to figure out afterwards how the heck you wound up floating on your roof in Chesapeake Bay with 1/2 your family?

And if you can do better, by all means apply for the job at once. We need you!

Edited October 28, 2012 by Dave@Moon (see edit history)

[Guest cben09]

Southern Maine,,Sunday 7pm,,no wind,,no breeze,,temp 40d,,,damp like its gonna rain any minute,,that way all day

How far south is the wind??,,Ben in Maine [southern Maine}

[Shop Rat]

MCHinson is in my thoughts as he lives in Wilmington. Please be safe Matt.

[Shop Rat]

Try to move your cars to a high-rise garage.

Pack your important papers - Deeds, Titles, Birth Certificate, Passport-

Medications

Jewelry - our home was looted after Katrina

Take family photo albums with you - irreplaceable

In case of flooding - take stuff off of the floors and place on shelves.

Freeze a plastic cup of ice in the freezer, and place a penny on it - then put all freezer contents in sealed plastic bags. If the penny is still on top on your return, then the power was not off too long and the food is still good, but if the penny has sunk, then throw away the food bags (they defrosted and re-froze) but you will not have to junk the fridge/freezer like we did (you would never get rid of the smell of rotten food).

Make a contact list with cell phone #s of friends and family - and establist an individual as a center of contact.

Gather anything which could blow around your yard (Trash cans, lids, etc,), and put it inside, or at least tied down securely, or it will go through your bay window and the storm will be in your home!

Unplug anything electronic to be safe from surge.

Marty, this is such good advice that I copied and pasted it to an e-mail and sent it to my self to share with others. Thanks.

[Guest cben09]

Susan,,,Whats the wind doing down there??,,Cheers,,Ben

[Shop Rat]

Susan,,,Whats the wind doing down there??,,Cheers,,Ben

Breezy but not bad at this point. The current issue is that it has been raining for more than 24 hours here where I live. There will be flooding even if it stopped right now. If that storm spawns more rain it will get way worse. We live up on a ridge so we won't get flooded. We could get some water across the basement floor as it used to be a garage on that end under our house. The seal between the cinder block wall and the basement floor in a couple of places leaks. At some point when we have the driveway redone we will have that all fixed. For now it is not a huge problem as the floor is still plain cement with a drain in it.

Edited October 29, 2012 by Shop Rat (see edit history)

[Guest quadfins]

Wind and rain are picking up here in eastern Virginia, along the Chesapeake Bay. We had light rain all day, but very moderate until now. Worst is supposed to arrive about 3 AM. Schools in the region are closed tomorrow - don't know yet about Tuesday.

Cars are safely in the garage, and we are high enough to avoid flooding, but we may be trapped by some low-lying roads. Short of a tree falling on the house, we should do OK.

Power has flickered a few times, and the computer reset once already. May lose electricity if the wind gets stronger. So far, those summer storms were worse.

Jim

Edited October 29, 2012 by quadfins (see edit history)

[Guest cben09]

Jim an Susan,,,,Thanks for the update,,,Ben

[Guest Foggy norm]

Heck, our weatherologist's have trouble predicting yesterday's weather.........

[jackofalltrades70]

good luck to everyone on the coastline. Here in NE Pennsylvania, they've already closed schools tomorrow also because of the storms possible rain/flooding issues. Matt

[MCHinson]

Susan,

Thanks for your concern, but we are fine. We have a lot of experience with these types of storms here in Wilmington NC. This storm was really a non-issue for us here. It was far enough off shore that we just had some tropical storm force winds and a few inches of rain. Those who get a direct impact will obviously have much more to deal with than we did.

[1937hd45]

Guns are clean, have food water and ammo. Bob

[Shop Rat]

Matt, thanks for letting me/us know that you are okay. Glad to hear it wasn't too bad. I have family in the path of the storm up north. Luckily none on the coast but still it will probably cause issues for them. After the storm that came through this summer many here are better prepared for if they loose power.

[Shop Rat]

Guns are clean, have food water and ammo. Bob

Same here. Along with a husband that hunts and was on the Air Force pistol and rifle teams.

[jackofalltrades70]

Rain really starting to set in here about now. Winds picking up a little. Probably around 20+mph now. Generator full, extra tanks full, guns loaded. Hopefully we keep the power on and hoping that everyone else is doing o.k. too! Matt

[checker]

Susan, I saw parts of WV are expecting close to 2 feet of snow. Not where I live but I thought St. Albans was down near the snow.???

[Shop Rat]

Susan, I saw parts of WV are expecting close to 2 feet of snow. Not where I live but I thought St. Albans was down near the snow.???

Probably closer than you are Doug. Beckley has had some snow as of last night and it is about an hour south of us but at a higher elevation. There are ski areas there. We are within sight distance of the Kanawha River and it is warmer here than there by quite a bit. A few large, wet flakes of snow have been seen here. Overnight will tell the tale. Some areas have coverings of snow not that far from us.

I know where Charles Town is because an uncle and his family lived there for many years and we visited them.

[john2dameron]

We are on the stateline on the east side of WV, fifty miles north of Roanoke, VA. We've had light rain for about 2 days and there is a little snow mixed in it tonight. The worst snow in WV is down the center of the state and in the mountains. Beckley, Bluefield, and Princeton are getting dumped on. Anything with an elevation over 3,000 feet is forcast to get about 2-feet of snow. My biggest concern is Koby, the 16 year old that started the post, Young and eager to learn, on here shortly before Hershey. He and his parents are on Long Island and the news doesn't look good there. I sent him an email but don't know if they have power to reply with.