Fine Sunday Ahead and More on Isaac

Better State Fair day
By Paul Douglas


I get weather questions all the time. "Best day of the weekend? Favorite app? What does El Nino mean for our winter?" Yesterday a friend in Seaside, Florida wrote "Are we Ground Zero? Will my home still be here Wednesday?"


I had sent Karen Wagner a copy of the Alerts Broadcaster Hurricane Isaac e-mail briefing our corporate clients receive, and she was (understandably) concerned. "Yes", I wrote, "but when the order comes to evacuate don't second-guess the authorities."


We all know what it's like to experience a severe thunderstorm. Now make the winds nearly twice a strong, have it last for 8 to 12 hours, with water rising beneath your feet.


Today south Florida will see 40-60 mph winds and a 3-4 foot storm surge, but Isaac could become a (major) Category 3 hurricane, with 110+ mph winds as it tracks over warm water in the Gulf of Mexico, hitting Tuesday near Pensacola. Where I have a son in the Navy learning to fly. Yes, he's gotten the hurricane lecture.


Today looks MUCH better for the fair or lake with sun and low 80s. Summer hangs on for dear life; 80s every day this week - the next chance of T-storms up north by Saturday. No worries (here). Florida? In our prayers.
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Todd's Star Tribune Outlook for the Twin Cities and all of Minnesota

SUNDAY: A little soggy to start, looking better through the day. More sunshine, not as sticky. Winds: W 5-10mph. High: 83

SUNDAY: NIGHT: Clear and comfortable. Low: 64

MONDAY: Nice stat! Fading PM sunshine, slight chance of a passing PM shower across far southern MN. High: 85

TUESDAY: Pleasant, nothing rough. Getting warmer with more PM clouds. Low: 64. High: 88

WEDNESDAY: Even warmer with a mix of clouds and sun. Low: 67. High: 90.

THURSDAY: Another warm day. Low: 67. High: 92.

FRIDAY: Still mostly quiet and warm!. Low: 68. High: 88

SATURDAY: Cool front slides through with a chance of thunder late. Low: 66. High: 86.
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Sunday, August 26th, 2012

Thanks to everyone who came out to and said hello while I was at the Startribune booth on Saturday. As expected, the rain came... I was delagated to selling umbrellas and ponchos! I've never seen such a mad dash for waterproof gear like that before! We literally sold hundreds of items during the 1 hour soak. Ponchos sold out in about 30 minutues and umbrellas started flying off the shelf. Seemed like everyone still managed to enjoy themselves even with the rain.

It was also the first time I've seen the Giant Slide getting a good scrub from severeal workers... After the rain, several people worked diligently to dry the slide.

Sunday Weather

The front that brought soggy weather conditions to the region on Saturday will slowly push east on Sunday. It appears a little cloudy/soggy to start, but there will be improving weather conditions through the day.

Heavy Flooding Rains Expected in the Southeast

NOAA's HPC 5 day rainfall forecast suggests nearly 12"+ in spots of the southeastern U.S. as Isaac draws near. Let's just hope that impacts from wind damage and storm surge remain minimal.

Eyes on Isaac

DISCUSSION AND 48-HOUR OUTLOOK
------------------------------
AT 1100 PM EDT...0300 UTC...THE CENTER OF TROPICAL STORM ISAAC WAS
LOCATED NEAR LATITUDE 22.1 NORTH...LONGITUDE 77.2 WEST. ISAAC IS
MOVING TOWARD THE NORTHWEST NEAR 17 MPH...28 KM/H...AND THIS
GENERAL MOTION IS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE DURING THE NEXT 48 HOURS.
ON THE FORECAST TRACK...THE CENTER OF ISAAC SHOULD MOVE JUST
NORTH OF THE CENTRAL COAST OF CUBA TONIGHT...AND MOVE NEAR
OR OVER THE FLORIDA KEYS SUNDAY OR SUNDAY NIGHT. ISAAC IS
FORECAST TO MOVE OVER THE SOUTHEASTERN GULF OF MEXICO BY EARLY
MONDAY.

MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS ARE NEAR 60 MPH...95 KM/H...WITH HIGHER
GUSTS. STRENGTHENING IS FORECAST DURING THE NEXT 48 HOURS...AND
ISAAC IS EXPECTED TO BE AT OR NEAR HURRICANE STRENGTH WHEN IT
REACHES THE FLORIDA KEYS.
TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 205 MILES...335 KM
FROM THE CENTER.
ESTIMATED MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE IS 997 MB...29.44 INCHES.



Forecast Track
As expected, Isaac will quickly intensify as he moves into the warmer waters of the Gulf of Mexico. There are still factors that could affect Isaac, but the overall consensus is to make landfall near Florida/Alabama by late Tuesday night/early Wednesday morning.

See more from the National Hurricane Center HERE:



Thanks for checking in, enjoy the rest of your weekend.
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