Day 338: Better Inspiration – Through Denial!

Tropical Storm Chris at 5 am August 1, 2006 (Photo: NOAA)

I like this map.  Here’s the Virgin Islands, here’s Anguilla, here’s Antigua and, oh, the fierce patch of red-blue-white spectrum is the Big Ass Storm, which somehow warrants delineation with a giant yellow arrow.

Tropical Storm Chris

[The National Hurricane Center] forecast the storm [heading west-northwest at nearly nine mph], packing winds near 40 miles per hour, would reach the Bahamas by the weekend and Florida by early next week.

Although the storm will strengthen over the next five days, it will not turn into a hurricane before reaching the Bahamas, the NHC predicted.

If the storm crosses Florida and gets into the Gulf of Mexico, energy traders said it could disrupt U.S. oil and natural gas production and refining facilities located there.

Must these things happen when I am to leave town for a long weekend?

Update: “The Hurricane Hunters found much stronger winds than expected in Chris this afternoon.”  The best online weather source is Weather Underground, where Jeff Masters runs the Wunderblog.  Link to it, learn it, live it, love it.  Meanwhile, I repeat the Litany Against Pre-Hurricane Freakout as first taught to me by Dave S.: “Stop worrying.  You know this happens every year about this time and you moved here anyway.”