Matthew's "Eyewall" Approaching Cape Canaveral

By Jeralyn, Section Huricanes Katrina and Rita
Posted on Fri Oct 07, 2016 at 07:30:00 AM EST
Tags: (all tags)

Share This: Digg!

The 4 am update from the National Hurricane Center:

WESTERN EDGE OF MATTHEW'S EYEWALL APPROACHING CAPE CANAVERAL...

During the past hour, a sustained wind of 46 mph (74 km/h) and a gust of 70 mph (113 km/h) were reported at Melbourne, Florida, while a gust of 45 mph (73 km/h) was reported at Orlando, Florida.

Miami missed the brunt of Matthew, which has been downgraded to a Category 3 Storm. Even so, the danger from the storm is still very real and serious. [More...]

From the 2 am public advisory:

Winds increase rapidly in elevation in a tropical cyclone. Residents in high-rise buildings should be aware that the winds at the top of a 30-story building will be, on average, about one Saffir-Simpson category higher than the winds near the surface.

The National Hurricane Center's twitter feed is here. Their website is here.

Even the Kennedy Space Center, Disney World, SeaWorld, and Universal Studios are closed. More worrisome to some is that the Waffle House Restaurants have closed up and down I-95 from Ft. Pierce to Titusville. Waffle House is known for staying open during disasters, and are considered by FEMA and others as a gauge of the scope of the disaster. (warning: auto-play video)

As to the danger (from the National Hurricane Center's 2 am advisory):

The combination of a dangerous storm surge and the tide will cause normally dry areas near the coast to be flooded by rising waters moving inland from the shoreline. There is a danger of life-threatening inundation during the next 36 hours along the Florida east coast, the Georgia coast, and the South Carolina coast from Boca Raton, Florida, to South Santee River, South Carolina.

There is the possibility of life-threatening inundation during the next 48 hours from north of South Santee River, South Carolina, to Cape Fear, North Carolina. For a depiction of areas at risk, please see the Prototype National Weather Service Storm Surge Watch/Warning Graphic.

There's really someplace named Cape Fear?

< President Obama Commutes 102 More Prison Sentences | Trump's Lewd Recording >

Legal

Nothing on this site should be construed as legal advice. TalkLeft does not give legal advice.

TalkLeft is not responsible for and often disagrees with material posted in the comments section. Read at your own risk.

Matthew's "Eyewall" Approaching Cape Canaveral | 14 comments (14 topical)

Readers Must Login or Create an Account to Comment

Living in the area (5.00 / 1) (#2)
by Ga6thDem on Fri Oct 07, 2016 at 04:30:18 AM EST

where the joke is get off at the exit with a Waffle House I find that comment interesting. Waffle House was open here when people were stranded in snow.

For those of you who don't know the reason the exit with a Waffle House is a joke is because there is a Waffle House on every exit.

Came (5.00 / 2) (#13)
by FlJoe on Sat Oct 08, 2016 at 07:01:18 AM EST

through ok, minimal damage around here, aside from no power or internet at my house everything is ok.

: Glad to hear it! (5.00 / 1) (#14)
by Ga6thDem on Sat Oct 08, 2016 at 08:44:28 AM EST

Waffles are not to die for after all (none / 0) (#1)
by ruffian on Fri Oct 07, 2016 at 04:26:01 AM EST

Trying to figure out how Jeralyn's post got timestamped 8:30 am eastern....I can't make that work in any time zone math!

Woke up to strong sustained winds about 4am, with downright scary gusts periodically. Can't get back to sleep knowing it is going to get worse. We are expecting the worst of it here around 10-11 am

The storm did not come quite as close to shore in Melbourne as the earlier models had predicted, but still plenty close and dangerous.

My power has not gone out yet, but a friend's has - they are not in an area that I would have expected that so soon. Seems odd. I am glad I do not have satellite TV. Many reported problems with that in this wind. That is the main reason I stick with cable.

Looking forward to daylight.

Power outtage might be downed trees (none / 0) (#5)
by Militarytracy on Fri Oct 07, 2016 at 10:29:31 AM EST

That was something we learned with Katrina bands, if you have sick or weak trees and live somewhere like here where there is seldom wind to challenge and reinforce the trees root system, a hurricane band can easily bring those trees down and into powerlines.


: yes I bet that was it (5.00 / 1) (#11)
by ruffian on Fri Oct 07, 2016 at 06:08:53 PM EST

That seems to be the most prevalent damage in the inland areas.
Really lucky it took that little jog to the west in the wee hours tis morning.

The Miami Herald (none / 0) (#3)
by fishcamp on Fri Oct 07, 2016 at 08:27:10 AM EST

is reporting there is now an even greater chance this storm will turn around, and possibly come back to Miami as a tropical storm. I'm keeping this post short since my typed words seem to change as I type. Very strange situation. Today I plan to telephone these clean your computer jerks, and tell them to 'get offa' my cloud".

Looking at the radar maps it looks like (none / 0) (#4)
by ruffian on Fri Oct 07, 2016 at 08:41:05 AM EST

I am in the sweet spot between yellow bands...I am not getting as much rain as other places at all...lots of wind, whitecaps on my retention pnd/lake, but as far as rain goes, I've seen worse.

So Matthew wobbled West (none / 0) (#6)
by Militarytracy on Fri Oct 07, 2016 at 10:31:48 AM EST

Threatening a direct hit on Charleston

Uh-oh - glad my friends there left town (none / 0) (#8)
by ruffian on Fri Oct 07, 2016 at 02:31:19 PM EST

: Yeah, I am glad my sibling, neices and (none / 0) (#10)
by vml68 on Fri Oct 07, 2016 at 03:16:59 PM EST

parents got out of there early. Really hoping Matthew moves further out to sea and does not make landfall.

Death toll from Matthew in Haiti (none / 0) (#7)
by caseyOR on Fri Oct 07, 2016 at 01:36:51 PM EST

now at 800 and counting.

: So sad, looking at some of the pictures (none / 0) (#9)
by ruffian on Fri Oct 07, 2016 at 02:34:27 PM EST

Meanwhile here people that have it a lit better are complaining that the police won't let them back to Cocoa Beach yet. Like its the police's fault this guy came back from his evacuee location in St Pete before the storm was actually over. I don't know about people.

We have cousins who retired (none / 0) (#12)
by Peter G on Fri Oct 07, 2016 at 07:22:43 PM EST

from Atlanta to a condo two blocks from the beach in St. Augustine. We visited them last March. Today, we saw local news video of the road in front of their development, which we drove up and down every day we were there. A raging river of deep water, with a fierce wind blowing across it. They evacuated yesterday to a relative's house in Gainesville (mid-state). And Haiti, oh my, can it always get worse and worse there? What a tragic situation.