This latest model run is bad news for Wilmington ( storm hanging off the coast) and Charlotte (rain total now up tp 6 to 10 inches with a much better chance of high winds). They are MANY beautiful old trees in a lot of Charlotte neighborhoods that will now be at risk.

I started doing some preliminary prep yesterday. Doing much more now. Also did an early morning run for gas for the generator. There ain't much out there.

Good luck to all in the path.

Having been thru Sandy, I say heed the warnings and get the hell out of there.

Godspeed

I heard that the tidal surge could be as high as 13'...get away while you can.

Most of the vulnerable old trees were wiped out here in '99....came up via Charlotte as I recall...whole neighborhoods of old growth. 6" of rain over a few daze caused flooding and 4 big trees to topple on my land, just a few weeks ago....payback for buying a new Stihl, I reckon ;). Stay safe guys....and Steph! It's gonna suck for everyone....just different combinations of suck :(

Computer simulations....GIGO ;)

Generator has been on the shelf for 2 years now. :( Got it running. :) Gathering batteries, flashlights and water jugs, just in case. One vehicle is diesel, so that may come in handy.

If you are among the many that are hitting the road, to get away from Florance. Have a look at the supprisingly good forecast in north Fl and the panhandle for the next week.
Consider getting completely clear of the storm and having an evacucation down this way.

That term was coined by my niece after many back to back evacuations from the Gulf Coast some years ago.

I have room for secure parking for extra vehicles, boats, RVs etc. at my place if you are heading this way. I'm near Panama City Beach.

Wishing the best for all in the way of this storm!

Cheers Richard

I agree. 40 miles inland and I had $40k of tree damage. Amazing none hit any of my cars.

In addition to Sandy, I was in the fl keys during Irma predictions. Glad we left, Irma track turned late, against predictions.

In WNC, close to Asheville; the big issue here is flooding--only so many places for water to go--planning trip to Dayton this fri to Dayton Concours d’Elegance at Carillon Park so maybe we'll miss it.

OK, so give me some info on my trip.
We are (supposed to...) fly into Charlotte on Monday, and drive to Asheville that afternoon. We'll be there for 2 days, then driving on to Knoxville. I assume everything will be free and clear by then, but it's that Monday afternoon drive between Charlotte and Asheville that concerns me. I don't mind rain, and we can deal with some minor street flooding, but i don't want to be stuck not being able to get there, or even worse, stuck in Charlotte because the rental car joint sent all of the cars out with evacuees.

So, Come Monday afternoon, what do you locals think it'll be like? Assuming, lets say, 6-8 inches of rain on Saturday. I see that a couple of you have talked about saturated ground, will we be looking at a lake around Spartanburg? Is there a high-ground route out of Charlotte to the NW?

Will we be involuntary volunteers helping to sandbag levees?

Saw an article yesterday that made me go ... huh.

it said that if it looks like you will have to evacuate, put a cup of water in your freezer and let it freeze.
After it's frozen put a quarter on top of the ice.

When you get back home you check it. if the quarter is still on top of the ice, you know the ice didn't melt and then re-freeze. IOW your frozen food is still good.

But if the quarter is on the bottom of the ice then you know the ice melted completely and refroze and the food in your fridge /freezer could be bad.

If you see that you have a cup of water with a quarter in the bottom in your freezer then .....

The models show that you are fairly good to go - my company is between Charlotte and Asheville so we are in tune.

If the trip is pleasure, and if this thing turns out to be as destructive along the coast as predicted, you may want to think about giving your room in Asheville to someone displaced. Call the hotel and see what the influx is.

I was headed to Morganton, NC next week and have waved off for that reason.

Also: gas. I use this site (and others) when stuff like this happens: https://tracker.gasbuddy.com/?q=charlotte%2C%20nc

Putting a couple of ice cubes in a bowl is a far better method. Or just look at the ice maker tray.

There are too many ways for the quarter to remain on top of partially melted ice which will float in a the (partial) cup of water for this to be remotely accurate.

That "facebook advice" also mentions possibly finding the quarter in the middle of the cup of ice. Good luck with that. It is virtually impossible to freeze a quarter in the middle of a block of ice without artificially suspending it there. SmileWavy

The air travel mess from disruptions at ATL alone will take days to sort out. Throw in other potential risks like flooding, power outages, damage to your booked hotel, I have to ask why? If it's not critical, postpone the trip. By this point most airlines will probably let you make changes without a fee in consideration of the hurricane. Paul also makes a good point about taking rooms from someone that may now be homeless.

Im still hopeful that I can blast down there early next week. As long as the roads are open, they are letting people back in, and there is diesel available somewhere within 600 miles of Avon, Im gonna give it a go.
I will help out any I can while I am there . I am going to unpack my generator tonight, and some general clean up tools. If nothing else, just help to clean up my buddies place . He is on the road today coming home, bet that is fun!

Heading to Tallahassee tomorrow. My wife's engineer brother has a home there that he's renovating...says come on over, he'll hose the place out for us. We'll be staying in a hotel!

Good points. But the more I think about it the sillier it gets. it's obvious that the people who are facing evacuation have much more to worry about that what's in the freezer.
I've never BTDT thankfully so it seems kind of foreign.