PS: more on the New England-knows-about-catastrophic- weather theme: let's also remember blizzards, ice storms, and the Worcester tornado.

For those interested in Gaston:

Saturday was the coolest day at the beach. Too bad for sunbathers, but I'd been to the beach enough to enjoy the REALLY weird weather, strange light, fascinating clouds, rainbows, the biggest waves I've ever tried to body surf, undertow like standing in a raging river. It was sweet.

About 2 am Sunday the palms started rubbing on the house and kept us awake. The wind gusts would slam rain into the windows. Although the evacuation was volunatary for barrier islands, we decided to abandon ship about 6 am yesterday when we started hearing reports of street flooding, downed trees and bridges being closed to traffic. I don't know how high the wind got when we left at first light, but there were some major gusts, sideways rain, and the ocean was
roiling. Driving over the intercoastal waterway bridges the rain was coming in sheets, the marsh was just a few feet below the bridge, and the wind made you wish you weren't driving an SUV.

I would have loved to stay and watch it come through, but we couldn't risk being stuck on Folly Island all day and having the in laws miss flights out of Greenville this morning. I think IOP and Mt. Pleasant took more of the impact than the beaches south of Charleston. I understand there are still many w/out power.

Cassandra...New england is not ravaged by tornados like the midwest is every spring. The hurricane of 1938,was awful, but once a century is about how often we get them. Not every season as other parts of the country.

Theres a huge difference. Blizzard of '78 and the perfect storm pale in comparison to the annual storms and disastrous conditions elsewhere.

Gojacks you know as little about New England weather as you do about .... well, much else. I don't know why I even bother to respond, since your stock in trade is to bait people more than to give or take information. But on this you are so far wrong that it's hard to know where to begin. Names? Donna, Connie, Diane? And some killer winter storms more recently -- remember the ice storm of 98? Just because you hear of a blizzard of 1 foot in WashDC or Chicago doesn't mean there haven't been several blizzards in the same season in N. E. of over 2'. Just because the last few winters have been historically among the mildest in history doesn't mean the pattern has always been so or always will be.

Well, obviously you got your wish -- you got me riled up. Please take your political and climatological balderdash to another thread.

I'm back to watching Frances, something worth worrying about.

What's really blissful ignorance is people sitting up north or elsewhere thinking that the same people get hit by hurricanes every year. For the record, those of you who haven't been outside your own back yards, the Southeastern US is a big place and most hurricanes are relatively localized. This big destruction by Charley is the first sizeable damage caused in our area of Southwest Florida since 1960 and Hurricane Donna. Forty-four years is not exactly an "annual disaster".

Born and raised in New England cassandra. I know a bit about the weather. And, the last few winters have not been mild. Pretty cold to be exact.

Patrick, Who said anything about the same people being hit by hurricanes each year? But, the southeast coast faces the danger each year. Ignorant to deny it.

Unlike Africa people, in the U.S. people decide where they want to live. I live in Pennsylvania and enjoy the 4 seasons. I have never experienced a hurricane, tornado or earthquake. If you decide to live in the SE or anywhere in FL or TX you should be prepared to have your house ruined every so many years so I don't pity people who decide to live there. Actually it makes other people's insurances increase due to people wanting to live on or near the seashore.

This is turning out to be a battle of the idiots. Stephanie, people do not always have a choice where they live, whether due to family, money, career, or whatever. When they do have choices, weather may or may not be the main reason for their decision. But NO ONE "deserves" to be "punished" by a catastrophe for their choice, let alone when they have no choice. Your lack of compassion is unbelievable. If you are ever hit head-on by a drunk driver, you'll get no pity from me because you chose to get in that car.

gojacks, you exceed even yourself. And for what it's worth, Cass's first post tells you she is also from New England. And since I spent a chunk of time there, too, I'm here to tell you New England has crappy and sometimes dangerous weather, which is partly why I don't live there anymore. The other reason, fyi Stephanie, is the cost of living there.

Give it a rest Stephanie! You would have everyone move from every area of the country prone to natural disasters? Come on, enough...you are way too old to be thinking like that. Oh...Are you an Eagles fan by the way? ROFLMAO

Cassandra...you left out hurricanes Edna, Carol and Bob, all New England hurricanes. Carol even took down a huge tree in our yard in the Berkshires. I do remember the Worcester tornado too. Hmmm--we are telling our ages. sigh...who cares...

Statia, we wish you well...hopefully it'll stay far enough north of you not to be too bad! When you build will you do all the things they are encouraging now with new building codes in FL so your new home will be able to withstand most of whatever Mom Nature throws your way? Your lot faces southwest...am I remembering right?

We still haven't heard from GoTravel. Hopefully she is just off having fun somewhere and not without power or worse!

My gut feeling is that Frances won't be a FL event. Hope my gut is right!

Whoa-- this is getting overheated really quick. You know, that's the funny thing about Mother Nature-- she's kinda capricious. This is turning out to be a doozy of a hurricane season out east, but that's the luck of the draw. One takes the sour with the sweet wherever one lives.

I've lived in hurricane-prone areas (Louisiana, Puerto Rico) and one area with four seasons and miserable winters (southwestern PA) and now live in a coastal desert area with daily baby tremors and the occasional big shaker (southern CA). Personally, I'll take my chances with Mother Nature to be somewhere with lots of cool things to do and cool people-- so it's hurricanes and earthquakes for me!

Oh, and by the way-- for those who might be in Frances' path, stay safe and dry! I'm rooting for you over here (and wondering to myself why we've been so long since a major earthquake...)!

OO, I too hope that what we do get of Frances doesn't do much damage here. I now understand that we will start feeling her effects about 2 a.m., so I'm sure I'll be doing my usual pacing and checking out of all the windows as my DH sleeps peacefully and tells me "if you're going to pace, will you PLEASE do it in the other room?" :O

You certainly have a great memory! Yes, our property does face the southwest, which is on the Caribbean side vs. the Atlantic side. However, the island is so tiny that hurricane winds affect both sides of the island pretty much equal. Although there are no building codes here, everyone builds very strictly for expected hurricane force winds. So, naturally that is our plan, as well.

I've been wondering about GoTravel, too. Haven't seen her here since Gaston's passing. There seems to have been a lot of wind and flood damage in her area with that storm. And, Hermine is right behind it. Hope she checks in soon.

rjw, bite your tongue! No earthquakes (at least, not big ones!).

Hey Stephanie,

Surfs up, dudette at Midland (TX) Beach! If you don't get the joke, check your atlas.

Suggest less hysteria and more science. In that vein, look at the currect projection of F's track. The forecasters had promised a more active season, so what's the be surprised about, and now the almanac folks have weighed in and announced their own views that this winter will be unruly. We all fervently hope and pray this one misses FL, east or west, and gives those poor folks a break. But that alarmist thread title hardly got things off to a constructive start. IMHO.

Then there's the earth quakes on the west coast, tornadoes in the mid west, blizzards in the North..

So, where does everyone move to? Des Moines? Any other suggestions?

"The forecasters predicted a more active season. . ."

I've lived in Florida since 1974. I'm trying to recall a single year in all that time that we weren't faced with the prediction that this would be a year for increased activity. There has never been a year to my knowledge that started off with an announcement, "we really don't expect as many storms this years". The last couple of years in particular were filled with major warnings that we were "overdue" and that conditions favored increased storm activity, yet those same last couple of years have proved to be even less active than "normal". This year they appeared to be right, but the odds were with them that if they kept making the same prediction, sooner or later they would hit it right.

Did you have to register, austin, or were you grandfathered in?

Interesting thought, Patrick, but I have a different recollection, when there was not a dire warning before each season. But what's really important is our best wishes go out for everyone possibly in harm's way. Lets hope F misses everything and simply sputters out.

Blacktie that was unfair and insensitive of you, who I know well enough to know you are tuned in to peoples emotions and understand the occasional upheaval. You are also here constantly and know as well as the rest of us that LilMsFoodie lives in Ft Myers. With that in mind...would you think she would be approaching the next storm with the utmost of calm? How long did it take you to return to a somewhat normal state after DC's trauma of 9-11?

FYI:
The information I've been reading says that the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration predicted a 45% probability of a more than active season, a 45% probability of a "normal season, and a 10% probability of a less than normal season.
And then the reasons are explained here:
http://www.cpc.noaa.gov/products/out...hurricane.html