Latest chart on Hurricane Florence (courtesy of Plymouth State Weather Center)
As Hurricane Florence nears the Carolina coast, the hype by the media is already ramping up to the point where it will be ridiculous. On the morning news I heard a wannabe weatherperson, actually a news reader, saying that the storm was already hitting the Outer Banks with 32 mph gusts and some of the beach road on Hatteras Island is under water. Wow, 32 mph gusts is like a normal occurrence on a routine sea breeze around those parts, as is a flooded roadway with any abnormally high tide or heavy rain at Hatteras. So, please, get rid of the wild eyes and the fast-paced talk and report things honestly not based on what will get you noticed.
Yes, Hurricane Florence will be hitting the coast and it will be a wind and rainmaker with a storm surge, now likely to be somewhat less severe as winds have dropped it to a Category 2 storm. And while there is a possibility of some strengthening as it crosses a stretch of very warm water, when the projected slow down occurs near the coast and it may already be gradually starting, the delay will cause the upwelling of cooler water which will temper the energy. And while a large swath of the coast will be damaged, the degree of damage is not because of this being the worst hurricane in history as some proclaim but because of the massive population growth on a series of above water sandbars sandwiched between ocean and sounds.
I by no means want to tamper the concern and danger inherent in such a situation and, yes, it is wise to evacuate as a precaution from these fragile islands. But please, please, tell the truth and report on exactly what qualified experts project and not based upon your desire to hype the story for your own purposes, media folks. And, I'll tell you, the next time I see a weathercaster wannabe, standing with protection from the wind, holding a palm frond up and pointing to a small tree limb in the middle of the street as the evidence of severity, I won't know whether to laugh or cry.
Beachfront properties will be damaged for sure, beach roads will be under water and the bridges to the mainland will be closed as they always are. But my biggest concern is for the rainfall, for those areas further inland, unlike sand, won't absorb it so well and there is likely to be massive flooding. But, and this is important, major flooding from storms in North and South Carolina due to flooding from overflowing rivers has happened before and it will happen again. And back in 1954, Hurricane Hazel came ashore with 140 mph winds, but thankfully the coast wasn't heavily populated in the area. As it stands now, Hazel is most likely to retain its standing as the strongest hurricane in those parts in many generations.
The worst storm, however, to hit the Carolina coast, particularly the Outer Banks, wasn't even a hurricane. It was a nor'easter, the Great Ash Wednesday Storm of 1962. That one stood stationary offshore with 70 mph winds blowing onshore for five consecutive high tide cycles. It was a disaster from Cape Hatteras to Cape Cod and if that one happened again today, I don't know if the beach as now populated would ever get back to business.
All I ask, media, is that you temper your reporting with truth, not rumor and hype. Your job is to report what is actually happening, not make it sensational to gain fame and fortune.
Yes, Hurricane Florence will be hitting the coast and it will be a wind and rainmaker with a storm surge, now likely to be somewhat less severe as winds have dropped it to a Category 2 storm. And while there is a possibility of some strengthening as it crosses a stretch of very warm water, when the projected slow down occurs near the coast and it may already be gradually starting, the delay will cause the upwelling of cooler water which will temper the energy. And while a large swath of the coast will be damaged, the degree of damage is not because of this being the worst hurricane in history as some proclaim but because of the massive population growth on a series of above water sandbars sandwiched between ocean and sounds.
I by no means want to tamper the concern and danger inherent in such a situation and, yes, it is wise to evacuate as a precaution from these fragile islands. But please, please, tell the truth and report on exactly what qualified experts project and not based upon your desire to hype the story for your own purposes, media folks. And, I'll tell you, the next time I see a weathercaster wannabe, standing with protection from the wind, holding a palm frond up and pointing to a small tree limb in the middle of the street as the evidence of severity, I won't know whether to laugh or cry.
Beachfront properties will be damaged for sure, beach roads will be under water and the bridges to the mainland will be closed as they always are. But my biggest concern is for the rainfall, for those areas further inland, unlike sand, won't absorb it so well and there is likely to be massive flooding. But, and this is important, major flooding from storms in North and South Carolina due to flooding from overflowing rivers has happened before and it will happen again. And back in 1954, Hurricane Hazel came ashore with 140 mph winds, but thankfully the coast wasn't heavily populated in the area. As it stands now, Hazel is most likely to retain its standing as the strongest hurricane in those parts in many generations.
The worst storm, however, to hit the Carolina coast, particularly the Outer Banks, wasn't even a hurricane. It was a nor'easter, the Great Ash Wednesday Storm of 1962. That one stood stationary offshore with 70 mph winds blowing onshore for five consecutive high tide cycles. It was a disaster from Cape Hatteras to Cape Cod and if that one happened again today, I don't know if the beach as now populated would ever get back to business.
All I ask, media, is that you temper your reporting with truth, not rumor and hype. Your job is to report what is actually happening, not make it sensational to gain fame and fortune.
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