Complete Hurricane Ike Gallery-Season Over; Not Much Snow November 30, 2008

Don

 

Look for the local forecast below….

Seraching For Victims of Ike

Today is the final day of the hurricane season in the North Atlantic.  This past year, there were 8 hurricanes and 16 named storms.  The forecast was about right on the named storms and short on the number of tropical cyclones that reached hurricane status.  Five of the hurricanes were considered “major” hurricanes, which is a high percentage.  So, the forecasters get a “B” in my book.  Here is a list of all of the storms with an archive of the advisories. 

I bet you didn’t know that Gustav was responsible for 46 deaths and $1.9 billion in damage.

The storm with the biggest impact on the US was Hurricane Ike.  Curiously, the press did not really give it

Hurricane Ike Radar Image At Landfall

much coverage after the storm was over even though I believe current cost estimates ($8.1 Billion) would put it as the 3rd costliest hurricane in US history behind Katrina and Andrew, though I’m sure there will be quibbling about cost vs. inflation adjusted costs.   Ike also has so far been responsible for the deaths of 72 people with impacts far inland from its Galveston landfall.  There are still scores of people missing.  Yet, the press corps didn’t seem to think it was worth reporting.   You make the call as to why. Here’s a published story.  Anyway, over time, I had lots and lots of photos and videos associated with Ike from local video to NASA stuff.  Take a gander at it all below:

NYTIMES Slide show

AP SLIDE SHOW-via yahoo

Houston Chronicle

Houston Chronicle Reader’s Photo Gallery

More Photos from Houston

More Galveston Photos

Hurricane Ike Rescue photos

BBC Slide Show

CNN Link Video-Some Live shots(as of 4pm EDT 0914)

Louisville Wind Damage From Ike video

Louisville Wind Damage Slide Show

KHOU-Bolivar Peninsula Destroyed-Video

CNN photos 19

CNN Houston Photos 8

Austin American Statesman photos 265

Hurricane Ike Damage -Boston WCVB Slide Show 63 images

Crystal Beach Video-Before Hurricane Ike

Crystal Beach Family Photo Video-Before Hurricane Ike

Crystal Beach Video-After Hurricane Ike Destruction

LA Times slideshow

Boston Globe (28 photos)

some GREAT HD images

NWS (more photos) Louisville

aerial video including Valhalla Louisville

RAW VIDEO FROM SUNDAY Louisville 9/14 aerials

Guardian UK Hurricane Ike Aftermath Photos

WCVB  The Boston Channel

Spreadit photos

Here are USGS Before and After photos from Bolivar Peninsula.

(Graphical Map of Crystal Beach Detailing Devastation)

Numerous videos from Houston/Galveston Aftermath of Hurricane Ike

KRIV Hurricane Ike Damage Photos.

link to the NYTimes slide show Galvestonians return to island

18Z Sat Mesoeta 48 Hr Sfc Temps

No Snow: I”ve tried to find an excuse to get you folks excited about snow but it just isn’t there.  The 18Z

Sat 18Z Mesoeta 48 Hr. Precip

Sat 18Z Mesoeta 48 hr 900mb

Meso-ETA is the model that I am using as an example and, while the GFS is a little colder, the Meso-ETA is pretty representative of the current thinking which is that the lower part of the atmosphere will be just too warm when the precipitation is falling.   I guess the biggest difference is that the GFS would put out about a quarter to half inch of snow Monday night that may accumulate but we’re thinking that most of the moisture will be out of here by then.  If you look at the 1PM Monday Meso-ETA precip, then compare it with the surface temperatures you will see that they are well above freezing.  Then, the 900 mb temperatures are just above -4C which is about 25F and is about 800 meters off the deck…2500 feet or so.  This is not a very good recipe for snow…maybe snow showers on Monday but accumulation will be tough and I wouldn’t be surprised to see some light rain mix in with any snow.  Kids, you’re going to school. The week ahead looks cold with Wednesday the exception with highs in the low to mid 50′s ahead of another cold front.

Hurricane Ike Before and After Photos; Ryder Cup Begins In Louisville(while I still have no electricity) September 19, 2008

Hurricane Ike Radar Image At Landfall

I’m not certain how much longer I am going to be updating Hurricane Ike Damage and such.  I’ll probably start limiting this to more interesting or new developments.  But, the map above should give those of you who are not familiar with the area and idea of where the hurricane struck and where the big surge was.  You’ve seen me post photos(Link..scroll down for all the pics and videos) from Crystal Beach, Gilchrist and High Island on Bolivar Peninsula and I’ve related how the eye of the storm went over the east end of Galveston Island and up Galveston Bay with the eye staying just east of Downtown Houston. The presented the area just to the east of the eye passage the maximum storm surge and winds.  Here are USGS Before and After photos from Bolivar Peninsula.  The contrast is stark and is a good illustration of the power of water.  Note the absence of even pilings from the houses.  From the damage photos, I have speculated that it is quite possible that not only did they get a 10-15 foot storm surge, but also a lot of wave action on top.  There are stretches where nothing is there. (Graphical Map of Crystal Beach Detailing Devastation) This area will be under inspection for quite some time, not just from structural and civil engineers trying to figure out how best to rebuild the area, but also by meteorologists.  The National Hurricane Center did a fly over of the region and all the way over to Lake Charles, LA to get a birds-eye view.  The SW Louisiana coast, about 100 miles east of landfall, in many cases reported higher surges than that experienced by the much stronger Hurricane Rita in 2005.  Here is the story about the NHC fly-over.

In the aftermath of the storm, there are scenes and stories that are pretty familiar.  Folks complaining about FEMA and other government agencies.  People are being blocked from returning to Galveston and there are still people on Bolivar Peninsula who refuse to leave. No water, no electricity, no food, no services and in many cases, no other buildings around.  Yet…they stay.  Not sure what they’re trying to prove.  Here is a link to a pile of videos of the latest stories coming out of Houston/Galveston.

Numerous videos from Houston/Galveston Aftermath of Hurricane Ike

In Louisville, we’re making progress.  By 5pm on Thursday, 180,000 customers had been restored their power while 121,000 remain in the dark.  Snow White and I remain in the stone age.  We spent the day sculling up the Ohio River.  The weather is just perfect.  Winds were nearly calm when we started and then picked up a bit from the Northeast.  But the wave action wasn’t too bad and there weren’t too many boats on the river….though the barge that came by was a challenge…one we both met as not only I beat the barge back to the refuge of the creek, but Snow White also muscled her way back to the friendly confines.  Actually, its the smaller run-about boats that cause the bigger wakes that present the problems.  The barges are usually of perhaps greater amplitude but much longer wave lengths.  Here is the story about 300 National Guard Troops who have now come to aid Louisville.  Here is access to links to some of the latest photos and stories cocerning the efforts and damage in the Louisville area.  Here is a story of how the storm affected agricultural interests.

The forecast for the weekend and the Ryder Cup looks great.  The mornings will be in the low 60′s and the highs in the mid 80′s.  Fair to partly cloudy skies will reign. 

The Ryder Cup: We’ve been talking about the Ryder Cup for some time now as it visits our fair (and partly dark) city.  I keep on waiting for the official sponsor to be Ryder Truck Rental. I mean, if the horse Big Brown could be sponsored by UPS, why not?  Corporate sponsors are everywhere messing up traditions.  But this tournamment is not so much about money as it is prestige.  It means about $115 million to the Louisville economy, which explains why the power needs of the tournament were quickly made whole…while I’m still in the dark.  But there is no prize money for the players who are used to playing for big paychecks.  It’s kinda nice to see professonal athletes playing for pride of country.

The history of the tournament is a bit muddled.  It is played every other year.  Originally it was a match between teams of the United States and Great Britain.  But, in the early 1970′s the tourney lost some of its luster because there were so many more top players from the US than the UK.  So, Jack Nicklaus came up with the idea that instead of having players born in the US and the UK, instead make it between players born in the US and Europe.  That made it much more competitive and in recent years, the Europeans have been dominating. 

There is one story that the original idea to pit the best American professionals against the best British professionals came from Inverness Club President Sylvanus P. Jermain in 1921.  Another says that it was first proposed by Golf Illustrated’s James Hartnett in 1920.  Either way, the first informal match took place in 1921 in Gleneagles, Scotland.  Another took place in 1926 before the British Open. In both instances, the Americans were trounced.    One of the spectators was English seed merchant Samuel Ryder.  He had tea after the 1926 match with some of the team members from both sides and it was decided to make the tournament a regular event and Ryder was assigned the duty of coming up with a trophy.  He donated a solid gold cup worth 250 pounds designed by the Mappin and Webb Company.  Ryder insisted that a golfing figure be put atop the cup with his friend and then world class British Golfer Abe Mitchell.  So that’s a good trivia question.  Jerry West was the model for the NBA logo, who was the model for the golfer atop the Ryder Cup? 

As for the name?  I suppose if you donate the cup, you get to name it for yourself.