Wilma the Pooh and The Blustery Day
I just realized I hadn't posted yet today. And I didn't want anyone worrying that was a sign something bad happened. We're all fine here in the Bay Area. Some parts lost power this afternoon, but ours here thankfully didn't even blip. I'm really tired though since I've slept all wonky last night, this morning and this afternoon due to various reasons. Let me give you an abridged report of the day chronologically.

4am - When I finally decided to go to bed. I kept trying to find info on morning weather conditions for Love since he hadn't heard any info on work closure or late opening.

6am - When Love woke up. Turned on the news and watched live reports from Naples as they got pounded with 125mph (201 km/hr) sustained winds. Poor Naples. The situation there looked pretty bad, even early into the landfall.

Love got up and started getting ready for work. It was quite rainy but in that steady, drizzle way, not in a downpour way. But we were eerily calm as far as winds went. The air was asbolutely freezing though. It was the crisp, sharp, thin air of winter, not the normal, thick, heavy, tropical air you get during hurricanes.

6:45am - Love deicded to head in early (normally starts at 8am) to try to miss the approaching winds and bands. They hadn't updated the emergency status number all night or morning.

7:15am - Love calls (safe) from work saying that they just updated it. The company was closed until 10am. He decided to stay since he didn't want to drive back home, only to have to drive back in again in a few hours. By now, the winds were howling. Absolutely howling.

8am-11am - I try to get some sleep. The winds keep waking me up though, they're so loud. I don't think it overly poured in this area but it did rain. It was more wind then anything around here.

Noon-1pm - The storm was already clearing the state (having crossed in a little over five hours) but our winds were still wild. We were getting 20-30mph sustained winds with gusts up near 40mph. (See the palm tree in front of my apartment whip around. Quicktime/3.3megs) And the gusts came every ten seconds or so. Our daytime temps peaked around 70F and by lunchtime, the sun was out around me. Other areas, however, continued to get rain through the afternoon.

Rest of the afternoon into evening - I napped a little more in small, fitful stages. The wind continued through the day. The winds have now calmed down to more like 20-25mph and are expected to continue in that range over night. It's cool out. And tomorrow should be another nice day with a high near 70F. Overnight tomorrow should see us get in the upper 40's! Damn, that's cold.

So, all-in-all, a very blustery day in my region. Not as much rain as I would have expected but beautiful winds. A lot of wind and flood damage to the south where it made landfall though, and five reported deaths for the state thus far. We're fine here and doesn't look like anything in the immediate area had much in the way of damage.

Hope my south Florida friends and neighbors are doing ok as well. It hit some areas pretty hard, and I'm sure the next couple days will see some reports of damage. Thoughts with everyone and thanks for everyone who left their thoughts for me.

~ change comes to :: miss m :: at 10/24/2005 09:16:00 PM ~ ~