MaureenB

My college-age daughter and her two friends were scheduled to fly on Southwest Airlines into West Palm Beach this morning. Southwest has cancelled flights, but is planning to resume today at 4 p.m.
Weather is predicted to pour rain for at least a couple of days, then partly cloudy through the rest of their stay. Southwest is offering full refunds for cancelled flights, or re-booking at no charge.
The girls have a family condo to stay in, so no expense there, and it's usually available. They will have airfare and a car rental (not to mention dining, going out to clubs, and shopping!). They spend their money fairly wisely and can't afford to get skunked on a rainy holiday.
So, if this was your week's vacation, would you spend it in West Palm now, or find a Plan B?

xkenx

The hurricane-related rains are nearly over now in the WPB area. By tomorrow it will be normal, but normal for summer includes brief showers and/or thunderstorms nearly every day.

mclaurie

I wouldn't have chosen to be in WPB at this time without a hurricane so....I'd vote for plan B. Where are they coming from?

GoTravel

I'd still spend it in West Palm Beach. The weather will be beautiful this afternoon. Hurricanes suck all the humidity and clouds out of the area and leave gorgeous weather!

Chance of rain daily is common.

MaureenB

So the forecast of 90 percent chance of thunderstorms is normal, not hurricane-related? More like daily showers? That sounds better than expecting torrential rain 24/7. Do I interpret your responses correctly, xkenx and GoTravel?
Mclaurie, they are students at Johns Hopkins U. in Baltimore, so they get their share of rain and are hoping for sunshine in Florida.
Thanks so much for replying so quickly, as they are right now making their decision.

mclaurie

Fla. is just sooo hot and humid at this time of year I would have chosen to head north not south, but I guess free condo is free condo.

My Mother who lives just south of WPB says the storm's over.

http://www.wunderground.com/US/FL/West_Palm_Beach.html

Brian_in_Charlotte

Don't put too much faith in local forecasts provided my national weather services like the weather channel. They just don't have the manpower to actually forecast the weather for each specific city/town. I bet if you look at the forecast for most cities in south florida they'll be pretty much the same.

It's better to rely on a local news station for weather forecasts.

I bet the rain moves out pretty quickly. And starts heading towards me.

MaureenB

Thanks everyone. It looks like Southwest can get her and her friends on a flight tomorrow afternoon, so that's what they will probably do.

Patrick

Last night at 11 PM, Kimberly was about 60 miles eastsoutheast of Naples and moving at 6 miles an hour. This morning at 7 AM it was 60 miles southwest of Naples, still moving at 6 miles per hour. I guess during the night it moved at 15 miles per hour to get there?

The summer predictions are pretty much the same in Florida. 80 to 90% chance of thunderstorms. Does that mean 80 to 90% of the time here will be stormy? Not at all. They don't tell you that at the same time an estimate 80% of the day may be expected to be bright and sunny. Kind of misleading to the untrained interpreter of such things.

MaureenB

Patrick, you're right about weather forecasts being unclear. It always bugs me that the rest of the world thinks Denver is covered in snow all winter, when in fact we have very few snowstorms which are then followed by 60 degree winter days. Because the mountains are getting dumped on, doesn't mean Denver is getting the same storm. Even within Denver itself, we have several micro-climates.