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by Rick_Dickert from Los Angeles, CA

Last Post 15 days, 7 hours Ago


Hurricane Season Peaks TODAY!
Sep 10, 2008 | 8:52 AM
Category: Traffic
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The peak of the Atlantic hurricane season is today (September 10th) and a strengthening “Ike” is slowly moving towards the coast of Texas. Now that the storm is out over the warm Gulf of Mexico, it will likely strengthen into a major category 3 hurricane. Some forecast models project that the storm could even become a category 4 before landfall late Friday night. The environment that Ike is entering is very favorable for strengthening. The wind speed and direction are fairly consistent (LOW wind shear) with height and the water is very warm. Moreover, the storm will pass over a “loop current” in the Gulf of Mexico. This is an area where the warm water extends down quite deep. Hurricanes gain and maintain their strength from warm tropical waters. 80-degree water is needed for hurricanes to develop and grow. The latest observations show water temperatures in the 85-87 degree range out over parts of the Gulf. Below is the track that forecasters at the National Hurricane Center think that Ike will take.

 So far there have been 10 named storms (tropical storms) in the Atlantic this season. The average number for an entire season is 10 and we are only at the peak of the season. Lately there has been a lot of discussion and debate as to whether the number of hurricanes and their intensities are on the increase due to global warming. I am in the process of reading a great book on the subject: “Storm World: Hurricanes, Politics, and the Battle Over Global Warming” by Chris Mooney. The author does a great job breaking down this topic. I highly recommend it.

 A lot of people ask me if southern California is vulnerable to a tropical system. The answer is YES! A category one hurricane made landfall in the San Diego area on October 2, 1858. Tropical storms have impacted coastal southern California as well. However, typically the water temperatures along our coast are a bit too cool for hurricanes. During an average late summer and early fall, the water warms into the middle 70's. On some occasions, like during an El Nino episode, the water can approach 80 degrees. Some scientists believe that this may become more frequent  with global warming.

We'll continue to update Ike on this web site and during our newscasts. Have a great rest of the week everyone-  

 

  

 

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Member Comments Total Comments: 10
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vmendoza18 view my photos
Sep 12, 2008 | 11:49 AM

Hi Rick!
Thanks so much for all the info. How come it doesn't rain much in California? I have always wondered WHY? it's so dry here.
DfDeportation read my blog view my photos
Sep 13, 2008 | 11:12 AM

Athens (Georgia) Banner-Herald
Drunken illegal Mexican alien allegedly kills Georgia mother
A Clarke County Juvenile Court judge ruled Friday a 15-year-old Athens boy will be prosecuted as an adult for allegedly running over and killing a woman as she walked along Commerce Road in June. -- Judge James McDonald listened to two days of testimony before he ordered the case of Able Gonzalez-Perez transferred to Clarke County Superior Court...
sebar read my blog view my photos
Sep 13, 2008 | 9:47 PM

Rick, if you flew the people a few boxes of Mama's donuts, they would have had enough energy to evacuate. Also, they make great life preservers. Try one yourself ;) on a nice weekday morning and follow in the wings of Jennifer York :D
aveclocal
Sep 13, 2008 | 11:57 PM

dude i haven't been here in a while...sebar is still talking about donuts? good to see u and R. keep up the good work man...we need to go surf soon... leave a note on either the suby or the beem whichever is on the street and i'll give a call...later ...big b
Timn view my photos
Sep 15, 2008 | 10:51 AM

Hey Rick, you probably remember me from Columbus Ohio posting a comment now and then.

Just wanted to tell you about the remnants of Ike and I guess portion of the cold front that pushed thru here Sunday afternoon.

Originally they called for 25-35mph wind gusts for our area.... We ended up getting slammed with some really strong winds. The local airports were reading some gusts at 75mph. I'd say we had a good 5 or 6 hours of really strong wind. Strong enough winds we watched a neighbors metal storage shed just lift right off the ground (we thought at first it was just gonna take off like a kite, but one corner was anchored in a little stonger)

Lots of down trees and power lines... some parts of Central Ohio they are saying it will be over a week to restore power...

I figured we would get a little rain out of that maybe some wind... sounds like Illinois and Missouri got the rain and we ended up with the wind.

Still I can't complain after seeing the devistation in Texas... but I think it just caught us off guard.

I had to drive 25minutes to my brothers to hop on the net for a few... wanted to see what the damage was like in other states from the front that passed through.

I'm gonna go thru Skyfox withdraw for few days, ha ha.. Have a generator but the cable is out... what a bummer.

Always like the in depth blogs you post to regarding the weather, always interesting!

Take it easy and keep in touch!

Tim
Shans-Deb read my blog view my photos
Sep 15, 2008 | 11:32 AM

Hello Rick,
This is off topic, so please delete after you read it :-)
It was really nice to meet you last Saturday, you and your wife are such nice, down to earth people. Your daughter is so sweet. You have such a beautiful family... I am happy for you.

I wanted to let you know that there is a new Japanese restaurant in our area... it is called Kaya Sushi, it is in El Segundo on Maple and Douglas. They have a huge menu with a full kitchen, so if you are not into sushi they still have a lot to choose from. The owners are really good people and they create incredible food. Their first restaurant in Marina Del Rey won best sushi on the GDLA Hot List last year. Their new place has duplicated the same quality food and created an even more beautiful decor. They have a 20 foot water wall that takes your breath away… and if you look up, you will see a full moon.
I am trying to help them get the word out about their new location, so if you are looking for a great place to eat, that is delicious, friendly and comfortable... please try Kaya. If you try it once, you will be a life long customer… They are that good. Take care, it was really a pleasure to meet you.
Rick_Dickert read my blog view my photos
Sep 16, 2008 | 10:25 AM

vmendoza-Hey! Thanks for checking in..hope all is well..YES..dry here in socal..Our "wet season" typically runs from November through March. This is when storms off of the Pacific move into our area bringing us rain. During the late spring through early fall..and area of HIGH pressure builds off the coast blocking these storms from southern California. It is a semi-permanent high pressure system. We have only received .16" of rain since March 1st..so we really need the rain. Take care and keep in touch!

Brian-what up?! Yes..I'll leave # on the car and we will hook something up for sure..hope all is well..

Tim-Hang in there! YES...flooding rains and even hurricane force wind gusts spread up the Mississippi River and Ohio River Valleys..
Thanks for the blog entry Tim..take care!

Shans-Deb..so so good to put some faces with the names! So nice to meet you two this past weekend. Thanks you for your nice words and support. Please keep in touch!
PS-I'll check out Kaya Sushi for sure!
thornyone read my blog view my photos
Sep 16, 2008 | 3:33 PM

Rick, right now I have one main concern. My son is presently in El Paso Texas. I know he is way inland from the coast but with these extremely large storm I would appreciate being informed about how far inland these storms are reaching and to what extent.
Just a short time ago your reports we keeping me informed on safest routes to take him to school or for him to drive to work, suddenly I can only put it in Gods hands and pray for his safety, yet I stilllike to know what we are dealing with. Thank you for all your reports
and your cheery nature.
Shans-Deb read my blog view my photos
Sep 16, 2008 | 9:41 PM

Rick,
You are very welcome. My kind words are only spoken because they are deserved. You and Steve Edwards and my Shan, are among the handsome and noble few.
:-)

Let me know what you think about Kaya...
;-D
They are my favorite!
Timn view my photos
Sep 22, 2008 | 8:29 PM

Hey Rick, powers back on here.. some small pockets of power outages still can be found around town after 9 days..

On the topic of Ike, my brother sent this link to me... Thought the photos were amazing, gives a better picture of the strength and the damage of the storm... If you get a moment, check these photos out.

The Short, but eventful life of Ike -

http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2008/09/the_short_but_
eventful_life_of.html
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Rick_Dickert

What's up everyone!? I'm Rick Dickert and I do the weather, traffic and breaking news from SkyFox every morning. I love my job..flying..up in the weather..etc..etc..Every day is different. I love the ocean, surfing, hiking and everything about the environment. Blog with me and let me know what is on your mind! A few songs in my IPOD now: -White Stripes “Icky Thump” -Finger Eleven “Paralyzer” -Foo Fighters “The Pretender” -Pennywise “Perfect People” & “Disconnect” -Joss Stone “Tell me ‘bout it” -Feist “1234” -Tiger Army “Forever Fades Away” -Eddy Vedder “Society” (entire Into the Wild Soundtrack) -Fall Out Boy “Thanks for the Memories” Good Movies I’ve seen Recently -Into the Wild -American Gangster How I Spend my Weekends -Napping -Eating -Another Nap -Running -More food -Surfing -More sleep -Hanging with friends and family

Member Since: 7/4/2006


 

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