That’s one well endowed weather map if you know what I mean. And I think you do…
We're keeping a close eye on potential tropical or subtropical cyclone activity early next week over the Gulf of Mexico. The ECMWF model indicates up to a 30% chance for the formation of a trop. depression. Nonetheless, this will be a weak storm and heavy rain is the main risk. pic.twitter.com/l8yERH9S5t
— Hurricane Tracker App (@hurrtrackerapp) May 12, 2018
Here’s the rundown from Earther, but to be honest, I was just looking for an excuse to post the strangely suggestive weather map tweet…
We’re still a few weeks out from the official start of hurricane season, but tropical cyclones don’t care much for regulation. That’s why there’s a small chance one could spin up off the Florida Panhandle this week.
A large, low pressure area filled with clouds and thunderstorms has developed across the southeastern Gulf of Mexico, and it’s marching slowly northward toward the west coast of Florida. As it moves across warm Gulf waters and gathers strength over the next 48 hours, it has about a 30 percent chance of getting organized into a cyclone.
Over the next five days, those odds rise to 40 percent, according to the National Weather Service.
Weather Underground meteorologist Bob Henson told Earther that in all likelihood, any cyclone that does form would be classified a tropical or subtropical depression, with maximum sustained winds of 38 mph or less. But, he added, there’s a “small chance” of a named tropical or subtropical storm, one featuring wind speeds of 39—73 mph.
“I wouldn’t rule it out, it’s just on the lower side of the probabilities,” Henson said, noting that water temperatures are a bit marginal right now.
Regardless of how fierce the storm gets, Floridians are going to feel it. The entire Florida Peninsula could be in for heavy rainfall this week, with eastern Florida around Kennedy Space Center expected to see up to seven inches of precipitation. And that’s not necessarily a bad thing—central and South Florida are coming off a particularly dry dry season, with more than 30 percent of the state in moderate to severe drought as of May 8.
Open thread.
TenguPhule
I’m sorry but that weather looks like someone transposed Donald Trump’s brain scan on there.
Major Major Major Major
I’m not really seeing it either. I guess if you sorta squint.
Mike J
Everyone who lives in DC is tweeting pictures of the sky.
Baud
You make Getting Schlonged sound like a bad thing.
WereBear
Badger is not going to be happy.
Some Guy
We really really really need the rain , but probably washout the trail ride my kids were planning on taking with the horses on Saturday
Catherine D.
@WereBear: My first thought too! He’s gonna ’splode!
raven
It’s aimed dead center at my beach but we’re not going until the 28th so it should be good for the fishing!
Yarrow
It’s too early for a tropical system. Hurricane season hasn’t officially begun yet. Dammit.
Ryan
Not that I mind Alabama is headed for a pounding, but maybe Mississippi could do some cockblocking?
Ella in New Mexico
LOL Chris Hayes was discussing how Trump likes Hannity to read him bedtime stories over the phone every night and this happened
Followed by suggestions for names for this budding bromance including “Trannity”, “Trannity and Hump”, “Trumpity”, and “humpity”
Quinerly
@Baud: Poco is scared.
Another Scott
@Mike J: Yeah, the weather people on the TV box were going nuts, also too.
Still, a mini-derecho in mid-May is a bit nuts. :-/
We had marble-sized hail, briefly, last night. I didn’t notice any this evening in our neck of the woods.
Cheers,
Scott.
YetAnotherJay formerly (Jay S)
@Major Major Major Major: Looks more Georgia O’Keeffe to me.
jl
@Baud: ” You make Getting Schlonged sound like a bad thing. ”
Good line for the future world historic Baud 2020! presidential debates.
jl
@YetAnotherJay formerly (Jay S): Some commenters here clearly do not have the kind of dirty minds that are expected at an almost top 10,000 family and Baud 2020! blog.
Major Major Major Major
@YetAnotherJay formerly (Jay S): @jl: I agree with Jay actually, which is why Adam’s read on it was extra baffling.
Wag
My wife is in FL this week for a conference. I’m realy bummed out for her
p.a.
That you notice is schlongific but no one notices the Amazon icon that’s at the top of every page?
Jeffro
@Mike J: it was pretty unreal, watching tornado warnings (not ‘watch’ – ‘WARNING!!1!’) come in on my phone while my kid’s soccer coach blithely ignored the coming storms.
Fortunately, he saw me scanning for lightning, which caused him to see it the same time I did, but still. It’s just a fucking practice, coach – when they’re calling for tornadoes and 60-75 mph winds, ya. cancel. practice.
YetAnotherJay formerly (Jay S)
@Major Major Major Major:
But Flatland sex is apparently gender fluid.
raven
@Jeffro: I ran sports programs for 20 years and the stupidity of people involved is breathtaking.
schrodingers_cat
@YetAnotherJay formerly (Jay S): Something flat just has an infinite curvature.
The Pale Scot
Look at the bright side Adam, I left 2 cars outside last night that were coated with love bugs, this morning I walked out with a bucket and rags and got both pristine in 30 minutes. Compared to last week i did a 3 hour trip on I-75 and spent 3 hours soaking/rubbing/gently scrubbing the damn things off a minivan.
By the time you get home the bacon-like bits have been roasting in the sun for hours, lipids and proteins making unholy bonds with the paint polymers. A good 10 hour soak does wonders, and you rarely have the opportunity. It’s all 30 minute T-storms and ta-da! the sun is back.
J R in WV
I’ll not forget the derecho we had here some years ago.
I was working on something on the truck’s tailgate when I heard a roar. I was facing south to do the work, and spun around to see behind me coming over the ridge towards us black cloud with flashing lightning, and that roar I mentioned.
I threw the tools and material into the front of the truck and RAN for the house, maybe 40 or 50 yards towards the storm. It got way dark, was really loud, the power went off (for nearly 2 weeks!) from Cincinnati to the east coast. We had electrical workers from Mississippi in here fixing the local power lines.
That night I could hear chain saws in the distance. A couple of days later when I went out for the first time, there was so many trees down there was a narrow tunnel the neighbors had cut in the downed trees. It was a couple of weeks before the state came in to take the rest of the trees off the road right-of-way.
Don’t want to hear about no derecho!
chopper
@Ella in New Mexico:
“trannity” wins by a country mile.
Catatonia
@Mike J:
Amazing looking shelf cloud, along with a greenish tint on the underside. Not too often you get cloud structures like that in the MidAtlantic.
I gladly own up to being a weather weenie. A sound diversion from all the orange-tinted crap these days.