Frances Update

I've been flipping between Fox News, and our local all-news station, Bay News 9 to find out where Frances is, what's she's doing, and where she's headed. Fox is saying that we can expect another 18-24 hours of weather activity before Frances finally exits into the Gulf. Bay News 9 is good because they give all kinds of good, useful information before the storms such as what you should do to prepare, what evacuations have been suggested or ordered, what shelters are open; you know, the usual pre-storm stuff. Then, during storms they give updates as to weather conditions and what to expect in the coming hours locally. I actually prefer Fox News, but I'm not really sure why. I think it's because they don't give local information, such as shelters that BN9 gives. They have reporters in various locations on the east coast giving updates on their locations. I like that. For some reason, I don't really care for the Weather Channel reporting.

The best way to see what the weather is like is to actually open the door and stick your nose out. So that's what I did. The wind has picked up since yesterday and we've had some rain. We've already had more rain than we did with Charley, but we haven't seen anything but rain bands yet. I expect the wind and rain to start picking up anytime.

Looks like Frances is travelling in a north-westerly direction and will exit just north of Tampa. Since I live in Bradenton, which is south of Tampa, this is a good thing. Frances should be a tropical storm by the time she exits into the Gulf, so there will be less wind and rain when she finally enters the Gulf. I've noticed from the weather radar that the eye has continually decreased in size, and according to the weather announcers (con't know whether they are really meterologists or just weather knowledgeable) is somewhat disorganized. Still plenty of organization, time, and strength to cause damage, but at least not at hurricane strength.

Update: Maximum sustained winds are at 90 mph. Miami International Airport plans to reopen this afternoon with a limited flight schedule.

Again, if you are in the path of the storm, be sensible, take appropriate precautions, and stay safe. Your life is much more important than material possessions.