We just checked all the links here on Hurricane Tracking Sites and they were operational. If you live in hurricane alley like we do, just keep an eye on what is happening over the next few days, particularly with the storm right behind TD # 2. There are some good news clips right now on the Weather Central site.

We suggest you get used to all of the hurricane tracking sites we have linked to, as each one adds information to help you make good decisions. If you have never looked at them before, learning how the computer models work will be helpful to you. There are some great model runs to be found on Ham Weather once a storm gets more developed. Check back often with Hurricane Tracking Sites, where you can access a wealth of hurricane tracking information, all on one convenient site.

For us personally, since we live in the Florida Keys and have been through quite a few hurricanes, it means getting prepared.  We start our preparations in May.  We buy some bottled water and put in our storage area.  We make our annual clean up around the outside of the house and take all the stuff we have collected that we don’t really need to the dump.  We make sure we have all of the storm shutters in working order.  We trim back all of our trees.  We fire up the generator and make sure that it is in working order.  Having been through three hurricanes that knocked our power out for significant periods, I would highly recommend having a generator.  I didn’t have a generator in the aftermath of hurricane Andrew and we didn’t have power for ten days.  It was hot and miserable.  A generator makes a huge difference after a storm.  If you don’t have a generator check out the Every Generator site. Every Generator.com has the largest selection of generators online. Enjoy low prices and free shipping on most Brand name generators. Name Brands include Dewalt, Briggs and Stratton, Guardian, AC Delco and many more. We check out our flashlight and battery situation. We start buying a few extra canned goods every week and we start eating the items that have built up in our freezer over the last six months (if the power goes out, it is hard to keep the freezer running on the generator). We also want to make room to freeze about six one gallon bottles of water. These are very helpful for the first couple of days after a storm in keeping things cold, and then being a source of water. Then we pray that the storms will stay out over the ocean and not bother anyone.

Our hope on hurricane tracking sites is that you won’t have any reason to come to the site this season. But, just in case you do, we are here for you!

The red circle means that there is a high probability that a storm of some intensity will form. One of the tools you can use at this point is on the HamWeather hurricane tracking site. They have an excellent model forecast feature that is posted way ahead of the other sites. You can find these models by going to the HamWeather site and looking for the following link:

If you click on the forecast link you will get a graphic of what the early models are saying about the storm. Remember that the models are not completely accurate. You are looking for some sort of agreement from the models. They are much more accurate as the storms get closer. Here is what the models are saying at the moment:

If this storm develops it will be called Kyle. Keep an eye on the tropics, staying informed is the best way to manage a hurricane season.

ZCZC MIATWOAT ALL
TTAA00 KNHC DDHHMM
TROPICAL WEATHER OUTLOOK
NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL
200 PM EDT MON SEP 22 2008

FOR THE NORTH ATLANTIC...CARIBBEAN SEA AND THE GULF OF MEXICO...

1. A BROAD AREA OF LOW PRESSURE CENTERED NEAR THE EASTERN TIP OF
HISPANIOLA CONTINUES TO PRODUCE HEAVY RAINS OVER PORTIONS OF THE
EXTREME EASTERN DOMINICAN REPUBLIC...PUERTO RICO...AND THE U.S. AND
BRITISH VIRGIN ISLANDS.  ALTHOUGH THE CIRCULATION APPEARS TO HAVE
BECOME BETTER DEFINED TODAY...THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY IS CURRENTLY
POORLY ORGANIZED.  THIS SYSTEM STILL HAS THE POTENTIAL TO BECOME A
TROPICAL DEPRESSION AS IT MOVES TO THE NORTH-NORTHWEST AWAY FROM
HISPANIOLA OVER THE NEXT DAY OR TWO.  HEAVY RAINFALL WITH
POTENTIALLY LIFE-THREATENING FLASH FLOODING IS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE
OVER THE AREA THROUGH TUESDAY. INTERESTS IN PUERTO RICO...THE
VIRGIN ISLANDS...HISPANIOLA...THE TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS...AND
THE SOUTHEASTERN BAHAMAS SHOULD CONTINUE TO MONITOR THE PROGRESS OF
THIS SYSTEM AND PRODUCTS ISSUED BY THEIR LOCAL WEATHER FORECAST
OFFICES.  AN AIR FORCE RESERVE UNIT RECONNAISSANCE AIRCRAFT WILL BE
INVESTIGATING THE SYSTEM SHORTLY.

ELSEWHERE...TROPICAL CYCLONE FORMATION IS NOT EXPECTED DURING THE
NEXT 48 HOURS.

$$
FORECASTER BERG/FRANKLIN
NNNN

We want to suggest that this time of year you need to be checking on the tropics on a regular basis. We have a feed set up on the right side of Hurricane Tracking Sites (NHC Atlantic Outlook) that will let you see what NOAA has to say about what’s happening in the tropics at the push of a button. If there is something out there, you can use the quick links provided to find out more about whatever going on. The best way to make good decisions is to stay informed!

No active storms.  I like the sound of that.  Of course the infrared satellite picture always makes it look like something is going on:

But, the National Hurricane Center says that the big red area is just a lot of rain and has a very low probability of flaring up in to anything else.    One of the handy tools on  this site for day to day use can be found  on the  right hand side of the site called NHC Atlantic Outlook.  It is an RSS feed from the  National Hurricane Center that gives you a quick graphic of the possibility of storm formation.  We always like low probabilities.  During this break in the season, don;t let your guard down.   Check your hurricane supplies and your evacuation plans.  One of the best things to be when a storm is approaching is ready.

If you will look for the poorly drawn circles we made (it is not easy to draw a circle with a mouse) you will find a link called “Tropical Cyclone”.  When you click on that link you will get a page with information about current storms in the region.  To see the Navy track of a storm you need to click on the link that will say “Graphic”.  That will open up a page that will give you a very easy to understand graphic of where the Navy thinks the storm is going.  This site doesn’t display a cone of uncertainty.  Since the Navy has a lot of interest in where the storm goes, they are pretty good at hurricane tracks.  You can also find their projection of wind speed at various times along the track.  The Navy site is one that we always check frequently during the course of the storm.   Just a side note, while no one is right 100% of the time about the track of a hurricane, both times the Navy site has forecast a hurricane to track over our house, it has.  As long as this site isn’t pointing at us, it is one of our favorites!

When you are in the cone of uncertainty you quickly learn when the updates come out of the National Hurricane Center. (Initially the updates are 5am, 11am, 5pm, and 11pm, once warnings are put in place they add intermediate advisories at 8am, 2pm, 8pm, and 2am). The way I normally track a hurricane is that as soon as there is an update I go to the National Hurricane Center site, then I go to the the Storpulse site, and then I come here to the HamWeather site. Each of the sites is excellent in its own way. Having access to the latest information will allow you to make decisions about what steps you will need to take in the possibility of an approaching storm.  Take some time to get familiar with all of the features available on HamWeather.  Let us know through the comment section of any features you find particularly helpful.

We want to encourage you to make sure you are prepared if a hurricane is tracking towards you. There are articles on hurricane preparedness on our Hurricane Information page. If your local EMS tells you to evacuate, you need to evacuate. If you live in an area where hurricanes are possible, stay current with what tropics are up to by stayng connected to Hurricane Tracking Sites. We are providing for you all of the best sites for hurricane tracking online. In the words of Sir Francis Bacon, “Knowledge is power”. Stay informed, stay safe, and pray for the people in Texas, Louisiana, Cuba and throughout the Caribbean.

By the time Monday came around, the storm had jogged well to the South and we ended up with Tropical Storm winds for a couple of days.  My advice is to prepare for the worst and pray for the best.  The storm could jog, fall apart, stall, or weaken.  It could also have a significant negative impact like it has accross the Caribbean.

Living on a tiny Island, and having been through Cat 1 and 2 storms, having driven through the immediate aftermath of Hurricane Andrew in Miami and Homestead (A category 4-5 storm that we evacuated the Keys for) the realization of what a Category 4 could do had caused us to pack up everything we considered valuable and we were ready to evacuate.  Then the storm weakened and went South.  We were spared this time, but many people are dealing with the impact of the storm.

Our thoughts and prayers are with all of you in the “Cone of Uncertainty”.  Take the advice of your local Emergency Management Professionals.  We have listed some of the best hurricane tracking sites on the Internet on this site to keep you up to date with the latest information.  New updates come every six hours from the National Hurricane Center at 5:00 am, 11:00 am, 5:00 pm, and 11:00 pm.  Once hurricane warnings are issued, the updates come every three hours.  Most of the hurricane tracking sites we have listed update very quickly.  Stay informed and make good decisions.  If you have any questions, use the Contact page and we will try and answer them for you.  Also feel free to add any comments about what you are going through.

I like to think of this site as old faithful. It is not as flashly as some of the other sites, but it is filled with all of the most current information on every hurricane. You should check out the National Hurricane Center site at www.nhc.noaa.gov.