Issue link: https://newsleader.uberflip.com/i/218481
Sarasota News Leader November 29, 2013 this morning. The storm is asymmetrical, with dry air all over its western "hemi-circle," and all the rain and "thunderstuff "on the eastern half. It has been cloudy-cloudy-cloudy for the past several days but not breezy. 6 p.m.: The NHC declares our little friend Tropical Storm Andrea and puts us under a tropical storm warning. Sustained winds are 40 mph, and central pressure is 29.59 inches. The center of the storm is expected to cross the Big Bend area north of Cedar Key tomorrow night. And NHC expects Andrea to stay a tropical storm while it moves inland from Florida through Georgia and into South Carolina and then North Carolina before going extra-tropical. Maximum winds are predicted at 34 knots from Key West to Tampa, with a possible 50 mph level at Cedar Key upon landfall. A hurricane hunter aircraft found a center of circulation on the western edge of the huge rainfall mass, so this is the real deal. Some storm surge is expected along the west coast because of the circulation of the landfalling storm. Page 59 Rob Lightbown has an eerie prediction based on Andrea. "One final thought and observation of past storms in history: In many past years, I have noticed that where June storms tend to make landfall and track are visited later in the season by a much stronger storm. Take for instance 1995: Hurricane Allison made landfall along the Florida Panhandle in June. Later in the season, Hurricane Opal made landfall in almost the same exact location and was obviously a much stronger storm. So, I have some serious concerns now for a stronger storm to impact an area from Apalachicola to Tampa, including the Big Bend area of Florida, later on this Hurricane season." [Note on 24 Nov.: Lightbown's prediction of a repeat landfall did not happen.] 6 p.m.: Andrea made landfall about 5:40 p.m. with sustained winds of 65 mph, damn close to hurricane status. Central pressure is a respectable 29.32. 7 June (Friday), 10 a.m.: It is sunny to partly cloudy and a bit on the humid side. The birds are singing and it is as though Andrea never Offshore sea condition predictions for tomorrow call for 9- to 11-foot seas and southeast was here. winds at 30 to 40 knots. Andrea is a phenomenon that blew up quickly, almost to 'cane strength in just a couple of days. Rain has been sporadic here, heavy at June 6 (Thursday and D-Day +69 years), times, then nada for hours. Sarasota seems 8 a.m.: Andrea remains on the same track, to spend most of its time "inter-band" with with tornadoes and heavy rains expected to no rain and fluky winds from nothing to tropbe the worst of it. Wind gusts up to 50 mph are ical storm level in moments. It will all be predicted. over by tomorrow as the storm moves up the However, dry air to the west of the storm has Southeast coast of the U.S., heading for the prevented circulation from completing the Chesapeake Bay and then Ireland. loop. A satellite view shows the storm trying to close up its "eye," but dry air just will not let it.