Hurricane Dorian – Sep 3, 2019

An update on Hurricane Dorian as of 11 AM

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Radar image from Nassau, Bahamas as of 11 AM Tuesday, September 3rd.

Some changes noted since 11 AM yesterday. The eye has expanded but has become a bit ragged as dry air from over Florida has disrupted the appearance of the western eyewall. The precipitation areas have expanded northward and of course, the southern edge of the eye is now north of Grand Bahama Island (barely). The hurricane has also weakened quite a bit from 24 hours ago with the central pressure now at 955 mb up from a low of 910 mb at the height of the storm’s intensity.

Compared to yesterday’s scan of the radar (see below) the changes are obvious.

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From the NWS National Hurricane Center the 11 AM prediction of the track of Dorian.

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Today as of 11 AM

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Yesterday as of 11 AM

Things are looking better for the east coast of Florida as the accuracy of the short term forecast track improves with time. Hoping for the best but always prepared for the worst.

You can view my post about Dorian from yesterday here.

Chris

Amazing hurricane – but not in a good way!

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Radar image out of Nassau, Bahamas at approximately 11 AM Sep 2. The eye of Hurricane Dorian continues to spin just over the central coast of Grand Bahama Island.

I’ve been a professional meteorologist since 1975 and while in the US Navy serving on various ships over twenty-two years I’ve encountered my share of strong hurricanes and typhoons. I’ve tracked and made forecasts for hundreds of tropical systems and have seen first hand just how powerful they are and the destruction they cause. I’ve experienced a few hurricanes that have gone stationary before but this one, Hurricane Dorian is amazing to me for just how long it’s been nearly stationary over the central part of Grand Bahama Island while maintaining its Cat 5 status (now downgraded to Cat 4) as of this post.

This is the latest forecast from the NWS National Hurricane Center as of 11 AM on September 2, 2019. Optimistically the forecast track shows Dorian well northwest of its present location in less than 22 hours and by Tuesday morning at 8 AM it could be about 60 to 80 miles further north-northwest from where it is now. The hope is that a broad trough of low pressure now over the central US will start to influence the storm and take it away from a direct strike on the east coast of Florida over the next 2 to 3 days.

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Official position and forecast track of Hurricane Dorian from the National Hurricane Center in Miami, Florida. 11 AM Sep 2.

I would like to see some slight movement of the center to the north or northwest over the next few hours for the forecast track to verify. Here’s hoping!

Chris

No way to treat a tree!

Obviously, trees that grow near power lines need to be trimmed but in a perfect world, these trees wouldn’t have been planted under existing lines in the first place.

I love trees and it bothers me when planners are so shortsighted that what they thought looked good 15 years ago wouldn’t look good as the tree grew.

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This once beautiful oak is now a hacked up mess. I’m thinking it’s borderline dangerous to split a tree like this oak so severely.

Here’s another situation where the county planners didn’t account for a building’s final height. How long after this building becomes operational as a hotel before they request the local government to cut it down?

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An approximately 70-foot tall oak is touching this building that’s still a couple of months away from opening. The building’s foundation covers at least half of the trees root zone and the paved parking lot covers another quarter of the tree’s roots. Doomed. I suspect that within a year, these three trees will have been removed and three or more smaller trees and palms will stand in their place. A constant trade-off that shows no sign of slowing down anytime soon.

At the same construction site, heavy equipment stands parked within a few feet of these oaks violating the root zone of these gorgeous trees. The paved parking lot will further cut the roots off from water and air.

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During the construction process, our county tree ordinance clearly prohibits this practice. The minimum tree protection zone is 20 feet from the trunk of the tree(s). Ideally, the zone should extend out to the furthest point of the tree’s canopy.

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Right after the clear-cutting of the forest last May (2018). The tree that is now leaning against the building is just to the right of the first pile of sand nearest the blue tank.

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A closer look at the “leaning tree”. Notice how close they cut through the roots to these trees. Most of the roots of the tree are exposed to the air and it will surely die or become diseased and therefore a hazard which will allow them to cut it down. A typical practice around here.

Here was the Stop Work order dated June 1, 2018.

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This Stop Work order was issued after the above clear-cutting was done and only after a citizen pointed out the violations of the tree ordinance to the appropriate county authority.

Location: Sadler Road, Fernandina Beach, Florida. If you want to see this for yourself, visit Google Earth and enter 2246 Sadler Road.

Thanks for stopping by! – Chris

 

Fire 1!

Noah Syndergaard, New York Mets flamethrower.

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Also known as Thor.

Stayin’ true to the orange and blue! LGM!

Please respect that all content, including photos and text, are the property of this blog and its owner, Yashica Pentamatic Fanatic, Yashica Sailor Boy, Yashica Chris.

Copyright © 2015-2019 Yashica Pentamatic Fanatic, Chris Whelan
All rights reserved.

Happy SUNday! – Disney Details

At Disney’s Hollywood Studios – it’s the often overlooked details that make the overall experience worthwhile. Disney puts so much effort into making it feel authentic.

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Camera: Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W170

Thanks for stopping by and have a beautiful day! – Chris

Please respect that all content, including photos and text, are the property of this blog and its owner, Yashica Pentamatic Fanatic, Yashica Sailor Boy, Yashica Chris.

Copyright © 2015-2019 Yashica Pentamatic Fanatic, Chris Whelan
All rights reserved.

wordless wednesday

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Camera: Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W170

Thanks for stopping by! – Chris

Please respect that all content, including photos and text, are the property of this blog and its owner, Yashica Pentamatic Fanatic, Yashica Sailor Boy, Yashica Chris.

Copyright © 2015-2019 Yashica Pentamatic Fanatic, Chris Whelan
All rights reserved.

At the Zoo – Lion Country Safari, Florida

Lion Country Safari is located in Palm Beach County, Florida. It’s one of the better “drive-thru” safari parks in the US. Here are a few images from a trip back in October 1993.

Camera and Film: Canon F-1 with Canon FD 80-200mm Zoom Lens on Kodak Kodacolor

Scanner: Canon CanoScan 9000F Mark II

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These next two images were taken at the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens (Florida) in 1999 OR at Busch Gardens, Tampa Bay OR at Lion Country Safari – I’m sorry to say that I didn’t record their origin properly.

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Grévy’s zebra

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The markings on these zebra are amazing – if you look closely it’s actually difficult to distinguish where one animal begins and another ends when they are in a herd.

Here’s a great link to the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens with some interesting info about these zebras.

Thanks for stopping by! – Chris

Please respect that all content, including photos and text, are the property of this blog and its owner, Yashica Pentamatic Fanatic, Yashica Sailor Boy, Yashica Chris.

Copyright © 2015-2019 Yashica Pentamatic Fanatic, Chris Whelan
All rights reserved.