1am Dennis Update

There will be another intermediate update at 3am and then a full update at 5am. So far still moving NW, and up to Cat 4.

BULLETIN
HURRICANE DENNIS INTERMEDIATE ADVISORY NUMBER 23A
NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL
1 AM EDT SUN JUL 10 2005

...DENNIS STRENGTHENS TO 135 MPH...NOW A CATEGORY FOUR HURRICANE...

A HURRICANE WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR PORTIONS OF THE NORTHERN
AND NORTHEASTERN GULF COAST FROM THE STEINHATCHEE RIVER WESTWARD TO
THE MOUTH OF THE PEARL RIVER.

A TROPICAL STORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT ALONG THE FLORIDA WEST
COAST FROM EAST OF THE STEINHATCHEE RIVER SOUTHWARD TO BONITA
BEACH...AND FOR THE LOWER FLORIDA KEYS WEST OF SEVEN MILE BRIDGE. A
TROPICAL STORM WARNING IS ALSO IN EFFECT FOR THE SOUTHEASTERN
LOUISIANA COAST WEST OF THE MOUTH OF THE PEARL RIVER TO GRAND
ISLE...INCLUDING METROPOLITAN NEW ORLEANS AND LAKE PONCHARTRAIN.

A HURRICANE OR TROPICAL STORM WARNING MEANS THAT HURRICANE OR
TROPICAL STORM CONDITIONS...RESPECTIVELY...ARE EXPECTED WITHIN THE
WARNING AREA WITHIN THE NEXT 24 HOURS. PREPARATIONS TO PROTECT LIFE
AND PROPERTY SHOULD BE RUSHED TO COMPLETION IN THE HURRICANE
WARNING AREA.


AT 1 AM EDT...0500Z...THE CENTER OF HURRICANE DENNIS WAS LOCATED
NEAR LATITUDE 27.0 NORTH...LONGITUDE 85.6 WEST OR ABOUT 235 MILES
SOUTH OF PANAMA CITY FLORIDA AND ABOUT 310 MILES SOUTHEAST OF
BILOXI MISSISSIPPI.

DENNIS IS MOVING TOWARD THE NORTHWEST NEAR 14 MPH. A GRADUAL TURN
TOWARD THE NORTH-NORTHWEST IS EXPECTED TODAY. THIS MOTION WILL
BRING THE CENTER OF DENNIS ACROSS THE NORTHERN GULF COAST LATER
TODAY.

REPORTS FROM AN AIR FORCE RESERVE HURRICANE HUNTER AIRCRAFT INDICATE
THAT MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS HAVE INCREASED TO NEAR 135 MPH...WITH
HIGHER GUSTS. THIS MAKES DENNIS A CATEGORY FOUR HURRICANE ON THE
SAFFIR-SIMPSON SCALE. SOME ADDITIONAL STRENGTHENING IS POSSIBLE
BEFORE LANDFALL.

http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/archive/2005/DENNIS.shtml?

Dennis Update

Winds are up to 145.

Whew

Well, I had to sleep a bit. Thankfully, while I was horizontal, the storm decreased to 140 and took a slightly NNW turn, and is due to make landfall earlier than expected. Still TS warnings for NOLA and Northshore, however, doesn't look as bad as it looked last night.

I have sympathy for FL, of course, but it is tempered by my general wish tha FL take a giant saw and remove itself from the continental US.

We're not past the worst, yet, but I've always been concerned of that inevitablity of a large storm hitting the bowl that is NOLA before people had a chance to get out. Since no plans seem to have been made for evacuation, at least from what I had seen on the blogosphere since I don't get WWL here, I was getting close to the hand wringing stage.

I sure miss Nash Roberts.

AT 8 AM CDT...1300Z...THE CENTER OF HURRICANE DENNIS WAS LOCATED
NEAR LATITUDE 28.7 NORTH... LONGITUDE 86.4 WEST OR ABOUT 125 MILES
SOUTH-SOUTHEAST OF PENSACOLA FLORIDA AND ABOUT 175 MILES SOUTHEAST
OF PASCAGOULA MISSISSIPPI.

OVER THE LAST FEW HOURS DENNIS HAS BEEN MOVING TOWARD THE NORTH NEAR
16 MPH...ALTHOUGH A NORTH-NORTHWESTWARD MOTION IS EXPECTED TO
RESUME LATER TODAY. ON THIS FORECAST TRACK THE CENTER OF THE
HURRICANE WILL CROSS THE NORTHERN GULF OF MEXICO COAST LATE THIS
AFTERNOON.

MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS ARE NEAR 145 MPH...WITH HIGHER GUSTS. DENNIS
IS A CATEGORY FOUR HURRICANE ON THE SAFFIR-SIMPSON SCALE. SATELLITE
AND AIRCRAFT OBSERVATIONS SUGGEST THAT THE EARLIER INTENSIFICATION
TREND MAY BE ENDING. SOME FLUCTUATIONS IN STRENGTH ARE LIKELY PRIOR
TO LANDFALL.

The 10am update said the wind speeds has dropped, and its approach has increased to 18 mph.

Unity Daily Word

( Pray for Others )

Hot Potato

http://www.passthepotato.com/potato-3.php?potatoid=050710002735-844084

Pass it state to state.