should I cancel florida trip this week?

[Wendy]

This looks like it will be a major event. I'm worried about my dads place in Port Charlotte. That is looking now like it might be a direct hit

This is indeed a very scary storm. Now nearly a Cat 5. And even in places not directly hit…the rain.

Hurricane Sandy was even bad here in eastern PA and I still remember a very fearful night through that storm. I hope people in FL do their best to stay safe. We’ve got family in Ft Myers and are worried. This storm is hitting at the same time as the high astronomical high tide, too.

Thanks for the update, @Fuller and stay safe!

 

[LiquidFeet]

This website has been my go to resource for storm surge: https://cera.coastalrisk.live/ The map changes as the NHC track changes but it takes a while for them to publish.

It's currently showing all of Sanibel, Captiva, Cape Coral, Ft Myers Beach and part of Ft Myers submerged under a 10+ surge. There will be loss of life without a doubt. Too many people do not take this seriously. If you're north of the eye you will get 130 mph winds but not a huge surge, if you're south you get both. All of this would be worse if it was Tampa Bay and not Boca Grande due to the topography and much higher population density. Once again I consider myself extremely lucky and my heart aches for all those will literally have nothing to come home to.

Right now the tide in Tampa Bay is 18" below normal as the wind is driving the water out of the bay - towards Ft Myers! Fun fact: both the historical high water and low water marks for the St Petersburg tide gauge are due to hurricanes.

View attachment 179296

Thanks for posting updates. I hope you can keep doing this, but you might lose power and go silent. Good luck when/if that happens. And post when you can. We'll be thinking of you and wondering how it's going.

 

[cantunamunch]

Is anyone else looking at that incredibly s l o w projected track and slight southwards dip at the east coast as being completely terrifying?

It's like the storm is determined to set up camp and compound damage before it moves on to other targets

 

[coskigirl]

Is anyone else looking at that incredibly s l o w projected track and slight southwards dip at the east coast as being completely terrifying?

It's like the storm is determined to set up camp and compound damage before it moves on to other targets

Terrifying and heartbreaking. My family's hotel and restaurants on Fort Myers Beach are going to be hit hard. Hoping that their employees and friends are safe. This is a still from the webcam at one of the restaurants earlier today. Yes, there are 3 people in it.

 

[Lorenzzo]

It appears as though it’s making landfall sooner than expected. I wouldn’t have posted this when evacuation was still possible but the surf community is skeptical about storm surge estimates. Surf meteorologists seem to think the storm making a right turn before landfall will have a diffusing effect and deprive it of enough real estate in its direction of travel to generate something large.

Here’s hoping they’re correct, not that other effects aren’t potentially devastating.

 

[coskigirl]

The restaurant the above photo is taken from is gone. It should be above this guy’s head

 

[dan ross]

The restaurant the above photo is taken from is gone. It should be above this guy’s head

View attachment 179350

The restaurant the above photo is taken from is gone. It should be above this guy’s head

View attachment 179350

Tragic . Best wishes and best of luck going forward.

 

[johnnyvw]

This website has been my go to resource for storm surge: https://cera.coastalrisk.live/ The map changes as the NHC track changes but it takes a while for them to publish.

It's currently showing all of Sanibel, Captiva, Cape Coral, Ft Myers Beach and part of Ft Myers submerged under a 10+ surge. There will be loss of life without a doubt. Too many people do not take this seriously. If you're north of the eye you will get 130 mph winds but not a huge surge, if you're south you get both. All of this would be worse if it was Tampa Bay and not Boca Grande due to the topography and much higher population density. Once again I consider myself extremely lucky and my heart aches for all those will literally have nothing to come home to.

Right now the tide in Tampa Bay is 18" below normal as the wind is driving the water out of the bay - towards Ft Myers! Fun fact: both the historical high water and low water marks for the St Petersburg tide gauge are due to hurricanes.

View attachment 179296

Geez...sad to hear about what may have happened to Sanibal and Captiva. We've done a couple of vacations at a hotel on the beach on Sanibel...sad to think a lot of that may be gone for good.

 

[Wasatchman]

The restaurant the above photo is taken from is gone. It should be above this guy’s head

View attachment 179350

That sucks. Which restaurant? Who knows when my relatives will be able to access the area to assess the damage. What a disaster.

 

[Fuller]

Final report: The Pinellas County Hurricane Shield held once again. Instead of a 10' surge we got the lowest water levels ever recorded, 6' of water was "missing" due to the north wind blowing it all out of the bay. I'm back in the house and putting all my stuff back downstairs - hope we don't get another one this fall.

 

[LiquidFeet]

Final report: The Pinellas County Hurricane Shield held once again. Instead of a 10' surge we got the lowest water levels ever recorded, 6' of water was "missing" due to the north wind blowing it all out of the bay. I'm back in the house and putting all my stuff back downstairs - hope we don't get another one this fall.

Whoah. Great luck, so unanticipated, so good.

 

[cantunamunch]

That sucks. Which restaurant? Who knows when my relatives will be able to access the area to assess the damage. What a disaster.

From the camera imprint, I'm going to guess it was:

PierSide Grill & Famous Blowfish Bar | Waterfront Restaurant on Fort Myers Beach

piersidegrill.com

 

[Wasatchman]

From the camera imprint, I'm going to guess it was:

PierSide Grill & Famous Blowfish Bar | Waterfront Restaurant on Fort Myers Beach

piersidegrill.com

Thanks. That is the downtown area of Fort Myers beach called Times Square. Looks like the area just got decimated

 

[James]

Wow, sorry to hear about everyone impacted. Brutal storm.
Did the op ever cancel his trip?

 

[Tom K.]

Final report: The Pinellas County Hurricane Shield held once again. Instead of a 10' surge we got the lowest water levels ever recorded, 6' of water was "missing" due to the north wind blowing it all out of the bay. I'm back in the house and putting all my stuff back downstairs - hope we don't get another one this fall.

So darn stoked for you!

But I guess that also means we won't see you up here until ski season.

 

[neonorchid]

Earlier txt msg from Gulf coast relatives, lots of clean up ahead at their homes in Naples, they've been using a car for charging cell phones so I have to think they were spared the bad flood waters. Another one in Marco Ils stayed the course with them, two levels vs one level house, no idea how the place on Marco fared, no phone reply from the neighbor there. Also no news of the place in Orlando

 

[Fuller]

So darn stoked for you!

But I guess that also means we won't see you up here until ski season.

Hurricane season doesn't end until November 30th so there's still time ... but since we have the opportunity we're going to get rid of a bunch of stuff that we've moved up and down a dozen times already and don't really need. Less is better. Or I could just say fvck it and get in the car and head west!

 

[Wasatchman]

Fort Myers Beach more or less obliterated. Early estimates are that 90 percent of the island will need to be completely rebuilt. I'm sorry @coskigirl as I also have family that is impacted from this devastating storm.

 

[locknload]

Thanks. That is the downtown area of Fort Myers beach called Times Square. Looks like the area just got decimated

Ft Myers beach is also gone...just leveled. Its awful.

 

[dbostedo]

Ft Myers beach is also gone...just leveled. Its awful.

Oh man... I've been to Ft. Myers a couple of times, but not for quite a few years. It was really great there... hopefully everyone's OK and it can recover.

Here's a pic of the same pier, showing what it looked like in 2007: