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[Deputy Moonman]

This thread will probably be short lived, as there may not be many other weather nerds on Gaf, but I wanted to discuss Tropical Storm Don, which has finally cleared the Yucatan Peninsula and moved into the Gulf of Mexico. The significance of Don stems from the severe drought all across the Southern Plains and the fact that it could provide some drought relief over the region. When it's late summer and the country is under a high-pressure ridge, tropical storm activity is a fortunate way to see rain in areas where there would otherwise be none. Also, it could be the first significant tropical storm of the year to cross the Gulf of Mexico and potentially impact the U.S.. As you can see from the US Drought Monitor, most of Texas is as bad as you can get and is in desperate need of rain:

http://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/

If tropical storm Don can become better organized and increase in intensity, maybe not to hurricane strength, but at least to maintain high end tropical storm status, which is with sustained winds anywhere from 50-63 knots, it is likely that Don would bring much needed rain to the region. Recurvature to the northeast is also possible which could bring the remnants of Don through Oklahoma and Missouri as well.

Water Vapor Imagery loop of the Gulf of Mexico
Latest Information on Don

Currently, Don is forecast to make landfall just south of Corpus Christi sometime late Friday night or early Saturday morning. Sea surface temperatures are not extremely warm, but sufficient for further intensification of Don:

Latest forecast discussion:

DISCUSSION AND 48-HOUR OUTLOOK
------------------------------
AT 1000 AM CDT...1500 UTC...THE CENTER OF TROPICAL STORM DON WAS
LOCATED NEAR LATITUDE 24.1 NORTH...LONGITUDE 90.1 WEST. DON IS
MOVING TOWARD THE NORTHWEST NEAR 14 MPH...22 KM/H. A GENERAL MOTION
TOWARD THE NORTHWEST OR WEST-NORTHWEST IS EXPECTED THROUGH SATURDAY.
ON THIS TRACK...THE CENTER OF DON SHOULD CROSS THE CENTRAL GULF OF
MEXICO TODAY...APPROACH THE TEXAS COAST ON FRIDAY....AND REACH THE
TEXAS COAST FRIDAY NIGHT OR SATURDAY.

MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS ARE NEAR 45 MPH...75 KM/H...WITH HIGHER
GUSTS. GRADUAL STRENGTHENING IS FORECAST DURING THE NEXT 36 HOURS.

TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 60 MILES...95 KM
FROM THE CENTER. A MEXICAN AUTOMATED STATION AT ISLA PEREZ IN THE
GULF OF MEXICO RECENTLY REPORTED A WIND GUST OF 38 MPH...61 KM/H.

THE MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE EXTRAPOLATED BY THE HURRICANE HUNTER
AIRCRAFT IS 1001 MB...29.56 INCHES.

http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/text/refresh/MIATCPAT4+shtml/281440.shtml?

So, there you go. My fingers are crossed that this thing holds together and dumps some rain over Texas. It could happen...

 

[Baraka in the White House]

Fucking Corpus. If there's a fairly non-life threatening tropical disturbance headed toward Texas, you can bet dollars to pesos it's headed toward the Corpus Christi area...

 

[Deputy Moonman]

Fucking Corpus. If there's a fairly non-life threatening tropical disturbance headed toward Texas, you can bet dollars to pesos it's headed toward the Corpus Christi area...

Haha I know right? If it was a category 5 hurricane, it'd be headed straight for Houston or Louisiana.

 

[Artadius]

Fucking Corpus. If there's a fairly non-life threatening tropical disturbance headed toward Texas, you can bet dollars to pesos it's headed toward the Corpus Christi area...

LOL that is so right. I live in Corpus Christi.

Whenever tropical systems come our way and they say its going to ran a ton...what ends up happening is that it ends up being a pretty nice sunny day as all the rain bands miraculously dissipate shortly before moving over the city.

I'm pretty torn about this. I know we need the rain... but with rain comes mosquitoes. Fuck!

 

[Baraka in the White House]

People look at me funny when I chide them for wishing for a depression or weak storm to head toward the upper Texas coast. Then I remind them that in the past 10 years we've been sideswiped by a major hurricane, taken another one right up the tailpipe and damn near drowned in a tropical storm. There's no such thing as a minor disturbance hitting us.

Hopefully this sucker ends the heatwave going on.

*i know dat feel.jpg*

Unfortunately the only thing that's gonna (maybe) end this heat wave/drought is fall, and even then we won't get much rain if high pressure continues to dominate our weather pattern. It'll just be cool and dry as fuck instead.

I swear Southeast Texas has to be one of the most humid regions on the planet that just can't squeeze out hardly any rain. Our air is literally saturated with moisture but we can't get a fucking drop of it to fall.

 

[thefro]

Hopefully this sucker ends the heatwave going on.