It Is Time for Stormy Weather

Well, it wouldn't be fall on the Gulf Coast without a hurricane/tropical storm or two. A couple of weeks ago, Tropical Storm Hanna blew through, knocking out my power for six and a half hours. That wasn't so bad, though, considering I've been without power as long as six days before.

Now, it's Tropical Storm Isidore. The center will come ashore in Louisiana. But since the Florida Panhandle is on the eastern side of the storm, we've been getting a lot of bad weather. It's been raining nearly constantly all day -- about six inches so far. The rain is accompanied by lots of wind, making umbrellas nearly useless. I'm sure we'll continue to get heavy rain and wind for another day or so.

At least Isidore didn't regain its strength enough to become a hurricane (or at least not yet). Even less powerful hurricanes can cause quite a bit of damage. The thing we all dread here is The Big One -- a category 4 or 5 hurricane. Mostly, I see these storms as an inconvenience -- they knock out the power and make a mess. However, I would be truly afraid of a category 4 or 5.

I wonder if we'll have to worry about Tropical Storm Lili a week or two from now...