(09-13-2017, 02:59 AM)Jagsfan4life9/28/82 Wrote: What was exaggerated was people saying this was a death sentence for Tampa. I wonder who that was.

If the storm had stayed out over the open ocean rather than interacting with Cuba, it would have been a category 4 aimed straight at Tampa. That's different than a Category 4 which made landfall southeast of Tampa and went up the peninsula rather than hugging the coast.

Being on the west side of the eye, as Tampa was, is very, very different than being on the right side of the eye.

(09-13-2017, 06:17 AM)JaguarsWoman Wrote:

(09-13-2017, 02:59 AM)Jagsfan4life9/28/82 Wrote: I don't know what people you know, but I live in Tampa, and there is still little to no gas to be had. So no, that's not exaggerated at all. What was exaggerated was people saying this was a death sentence for Tampa. I wonder who that was.

Probably people who have major mental issues.

So tell me, J-Dub, what exactly caused Irma to set sail for the US in the first place? Do you know what two elements caused it to stay in over open waters much longer than expected, and why it ultimately went up the peninsula rather than hugging the east or west coasts of the state, or worse, getting into the Gulf? What caused it to weaken as rapidly as it did, even when the storm's organization prior to landfall suggested that it should have held its strength longer than it did? And what combination of those factors combined to keep it from being a devastating event for Tampa?

See, I do. And I'm not a meteorologist, just a hobbyist with a few years of highly informal training. There were no "serious mental issues" in play when warnings went out to Tampa that it could suffer a devastating hit from a category 4 storm. As late as 6-12 hours prior to landfall, that was a very real possibility, and if it had happened, the conversation would be less about Jacksonville flooding and more about the dozens of people who would have died in Tampa as large swaths of the city were rendered uninhabitable. So, since you're of sound mind and a better forecaster than, you know, the paid forecasters, answer the questions above for me. No asking your neighbor's cat. He has a much better grasp of the situation than you ever will, and his help would be cheating.

---