Hurricane Watch and Warnings

With Tropical Storm Isaac becoming a Hurricane soon, I thought I remind everyone about what a Hurricane Watch is and how it differs from a Hurricane Warning

What is the difference?


HURRICANE WATCH

When a Hurricane Watch is issued this means the storm is within a 48 Hour time frame.  You should already have a plan ready to take action and to be prepared if a warning is issued later.  Make sure to check the news frequently for any changes in the storms path, a storm could grow to be a bigger threat than initially anticipated.

HURRICANE WARNING

When a Hurricane Warning is issued, you can expect the storm track to have a better chance to hit the predicted area within 36 hours. You should be ready to take precautions and stock up with supplies.  Again check your local news for details if an emergency declaration or evacuations are issued by state or local authorities.

I want to thank the American Red Cross for providing important safety information to the public

If you are in a Hurricane prone area, such as the Gulf Coast or the South, or Southeast coast of the US, I suggest you read more information here;
http://www.redcross.org/prepare/disaster/hurricane

Anniversary of Irene for Montgomery County, PA

As Tropical Storm Isaac is currently hitting Key West Florida, I had a friend remind me that exactly one year ago today Irene was causing power outages and flooding throughout Southeastern PA.
the Mayor of Hatboro PA had to declare a weather emergency and even with this declaration there were many people still caught by surprise. 

Why is this you ask? 

We are prone to the simple fact that we rarely have bad weather and it is easy in our busy schedules to not pay attention to the news.   Hopefully with more people getting smartphones and have access to email, they have set up some kind of local  news or weather alert so that they receive critical information from many available news sources. Many business were affected by this storm due to power outages, downed trees and street flooding.

We are currently in an active time for the hurricane season, it is a good time to think about being prepared.

Here is my 2011 Weather Year in review Summary: http://climatedriver.blogspot.com/2011/12/looking-back-at-2011s-weather.html

 Hurricane Irene Wind Force Map