Cool Night; Perfect Monday

After a rather cool and cloudy weekend, your Monday will be just about perfect as you begin another work week here in the Youngstown area! Highs will be in the upper 70s with partly cloudy skies. However, until we get there we have to deal with another rather cool night. But I don’t think many people will be complaining. It will be perfect sleeping weather as temperatures will dip down to about 50 degrees under clear skies. Be careful out there in the morning, however, as some fog may set up. Drive carefully and have a great Monday Youngstown!!!

Dangerous Ike Prompts Watches For Keys

Even though Hurricane Ike is now down from a category 4 to a 3, it is still a very dangerous hurricane with winds of near 120 mph. Hurricane warnings are in effect for the southeastern and central Bahamas as well as most of Cuba. A hurricane watch has now been issued for the eastern provinces of Cuba as well as the Florida Keys north to Ocean Reef, FL. Other tropical storm advisories are in effect for Jamaica and the Cayman Islands (in case the storm jogs a little south of its projected path).

The forecast track of Ike is very fortunate for the US as the storm could spend as much as 36 hours over Cuba, which could do some major damage to the storm’s structure. However, should the storm move a little north or south of this projection, it may not be over land as long and not lose much strength. It must be stressed, however, that Ike will spend a few days back over the Gulf of Mexico before going towards somewhere along the Gulf Coast. Therefore, residents from south Texas toward the Florida panhandle should monitor Ike’s progress. Since Ike is such a large storm, some of the outer rainbands will be affecting the Florida Keys on Monday.

Ike Pounding the Bahamas…Cuba’s Next

Extremely dangerous and deadly Hurricane Ike is pounding the Bahamas as it has been overnight, as sustained winds reported in the Bahamas were around 110 mph. However, the station that reported this wind no longer is up and running (obviously damage was done to the instruments). The Weather Channel reports that 80 % of Grand Turk Island in the Bahamas is destroyed.  Currently, as of 8am, the hurricane is heading right over Great Inagua Island in the Bahamas. Thereafter,  the storm is expected to pass right over Cuba and possibly remain just onshore or offshore the island for the next couple days. As mentioned in my previous blog, where exactly the center goes is crucial to the storm’s strength. Persons along the Gulf Coast and in the Florida Keys should monitor the storm’s progress.

Meanwhile, Hanna, after dumping 5 to 10 inches of rain across the northeast yesterday, is racing off to the northeast away from the New England coast and is no longer a tropical storm.