In SW Florida, seeing Jim Cantore in person isn’t always a welcome sight. While many of us self professed weather geeks love watching him and all of the other natural wonders showcased on The Weather Channel, when he shows up in your town you know you’re in for a rough time ahead. Jim is now in Tampa which is expected to take a big hit.
For the second time in my 3 years as a resident of SW Florida, I sit here and wait for another category 5 hurricane to spin through the sunshine state. This one, named Hurricane Milton, looks like the real deal and is certain to bring havoc to millions along the gulf coast- maybe even both coasts and everything in between.
At this moment, all we know is the approximate timing for landfall, expected sometime after 11 pm tonight. Of course, that timing along with the exact location of landfall could change at the drop of a hat. As of this moment, the areas around Sarasota County look like the probable eye wall entrance.
Areas south of the eye wall typically experience the worst storm surge due to the counter clockwise hurricane spin that will bring a lot of water to shore, and further inland. Most counties have issued evacuation notices, so I dutifully followed their orders and write this from the 4th floor of a hotel on route 75 in Bonita Springs.
To all the well wishing calls and messages I have already received, thank you. I will do ok, the house however is yet to be determined. At an elevation of approximately 11 feet… we hope for a storm surge under 10 feet. Hurricane Ian two years ago had an 18 foot storm surge at the beach which landed a surge of about 15+ feet in our community.
As I am now a seasoned storm preparer and watcher, I stand ready to assist any of you worried about your properties and can provide real time updates to those who request them.
For now, I remain dry. Tomorrow at this time, we will know the real aftermath truth. Here’s hoping we have good news to share and that the hotel bar doesn’t run out of Tito’s!
From Hurricane Ian, 9/28/2022
