Matthew: The Weather October Surprise

Hurricane Matthew: Skull Edition

Yowza!  Yowza!  We've had many close brushes with hurricanes since I've been living here, but nothing that amounted to much more than a few tree limbs lost, and some short term power outages.

But this Matthew fella?  It don't look so good.

I'm still hoping it curves more out to sea, but recent forecast maps have it actually turning more this way.  some are even showing it hitting Florida's coast at a Category Four, and possibly coming close to us at Category Two.

Tomorrow (Friday) looks to be the crucial day where I live.  We've had the local high school football game moved from Friday to Thursday, and then cancelled altogether (at least moved to next week).  Benjamin has no school Friday, but he never did - it was a scheduled day off for students anyways.  Alison, who works at the school board, may have to work - we're still waiting for word on that.  I don't normally work on Fridays, but I don't know whether my work friends will have to.

I've also seen some tracking that, after it brushes the coast, that it could go out to sea...AND THEN LOOP BACK.

It's already set records for length and intensity for the month of October.  Unusual, eh?  Maybe not so unusual anymore.  The waters are warmer this time of year than they have been historically, but historic norm now, aren't they?

Climate change is no longer a theoretical thing for our future.  Global warming is already affecting us NOW.

We have not prepared with an overt accumulation of supplies.  We did not go on a bread and milk run.  I have not personally seen how empty the stores are, although I have heard others talk about it. We do have some crackers and cereal, and a bit of bottled water.  We got batteries for our flashlights, and a bunch of candles (some of them kinda scenty, which may or mat not be a good thing).


Friday's high here is projected to be 78.  It's a shame we have to have a hurricane brush by just to get a temperature below 80.  Fall in the South...what are you gonna do?

Although, as things change, more and more of y'all may have to get used to it.  Y'now, from that thing that is actually happening that some of you STILL think is a hoax.

All my prayers and thoughts to Haiti and Cuba and the Bahamas, and to those places that will be affected by the storm in the days to come.

May God give us the strength to endure, and to love and support each other.