Meanwhile...
 

Tropical Storm Hanna has been upgraded to a Hurricane. It appears to be headed for the Carolinas.

And...

Ike - so far a tropical storm - but big enough now to get a name - in the central Atlantic.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26295161?preferredName=Ike

It is headed for the Bahamas and then...


The next load in the pump shotgun is a tropical wave now formed off the west coast of Africa near the Cape Verde islands. Stay tuned.

Just downgraded back to a tropical storm. The gloom and doom bunch must be soooo disappointed.

In general, we only get 1-2 bad hurricane seasons a decade. Often, we go 15 or more years without any serious hurricanes (which allows the vulnerable coastal areas to get built-up). We have had our two bad seasons recently (2004 and 2005). I would expect a period of relative calm before we get nailed with some Cat 5s again.

Hanna has taken a screwball path so far. I'm watching it, because I don't believe that anyone is able to predict this one yet.

These storms run in long term cycles - IIRC, on the order of 15-20 years or so.

Hanna seems content to just sit there and pummel Castro...

"The next load in the pump shotgun is a tropical wave now formed off the west coast of Africa near the Cape Verde islands. Stay tuned."
- now upgraded to Tropical Storm Josephine and headed our way.

Hanna is getting sheared apart. That one will be nothing. Ike is a little more of a threat and the one I expect to be (potentially) a problem is Josephine - the Cape Verde storm behind it. Keep an eye on that one...

Doesnt look good. Let's hope there isnt a repeat of Isabel this year.