Hey there, Dear Reader. It’s late morning here in New Hometown, Florida on Tuesday, July 6, 2021. Currently, the temperature is 78˚F (25˚C) under mostly cloudy skies. With the blowing from the east-northeast at 6 MPH (15 KM/H) and humidity at 63%, the feels-like temperature is 77˚F (25˚C). Today’s forecast calls for scattered rain showers and a high of 88˚F (31˚C). Tonight, rainy conditions will continue, and the low will be 76˚F (24˚C). A tropical storm warning is in effect for much of the west coast of Florida, and the Air Quality Index (AQI) is 33 or Good.
As I said earlier, we are now under a tropical storm warning, effective today and tomorrow. Tropical Storm Elsa has made its transit of the island of Cuba and is now headed toward the Gulf Coast of Florida.
Here’s the latest advisory from the National Hurricane Center in Miami:
BULLETIN
Tropical Storm Elsa Intermediate Advisory Number 24A
NWS National Hurricane Center Miami FL AL052021
800 AM EDT Tue Jul 06 2021
…ELSA JUST WEST OF KEY WEST…
…EXPECTED TO STRENGTHEN…
SUMMARY OF 800 AM EDT…1200 UTC…INFORMATION
———————————————-
LOCATION…24.5N 82.6W
ABOUT 55 MI…90 KM W OF KEY WEST FLORIDA
ABOUT 240 MI…385 KM S OF TAMPA FLORIDA
MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS…60 MPH…95 KM/H
PRESENT MOVEMENT…NNW OR 340 DEGREES AT 12 MPH…19 KM/H
MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE…1007 MB…29.74 INCHES
WATCHES AND WARNINGS
——————–
CHANGES WITH THIS ADVISORY:
None.
SUMMARY OF WATCHES AND WARNINGS IN EFFECT:
A Storm Surge Warning is in effect for…
* West coast of Florida from Bonita Beach to the Aucilla
River, including Tampa Bay
A Tropical Storm Warning is in effect for…
* The Cuban provinces of Matanzas, Mayabeque, Havana, and Artemisa
* The Florida Keys from Craig Key westward to the Dry Tortugas
* West coast of Florida from Flamingo northward to Ochlockonee River
A Hurricane Watch is in effect for…
* Egmont Key to the Steinhatchee River, Florida
A Storm Surge Watch is in effect for…
* West of the Aucilla River to the Ochlockonee River, Florida
A Tropical Storm Watch is in effect for…
* West of the Ochlockonee River to Indian Pass, Florida
* Mouth of St. Marys River to South Santee River, South Carolina
A Storm Surge Warning means there is a danger of life-threatening
inundation, from rising water moving inland from the coastline,
during the next 36 hours in the indicated locations. For a depiction
of areas at risk, please see the National Weather Service Storm
Surge Watch/Warning Graphic, available at hurricanes.gov. This is a
life-threatening situation. Persons located within these areas
should take all necessary actions to protect life and property from
rising water and the potential for other dangerous conditions.
Promptly follow evacuation and other instructions from local
officials.
A Hurricane Watch means that hurricane conditions are possible
within the watch area. A watch is typically issued 48 hours
before the anticipated first occurrence of tropical-storm-force
winds, conditions that make outside preparations difficult or
dangerous.
A Tropical Storm Warning means that tropical storm conditions are
expected somewhere within the warning area.
A Storm Surge Watch means there is a possibility of life-
threatening inundation, from rising water moving inland from the
coastline, in the indicated locations during the next 48 hours.
For a depiction of areas at risk, please see the National Weather
Service Storm Surge Watch/Warning Graphic, available at
hurricanes.gov.
A Tropical Storm Watch means that tropical storm conditions are
possible within the watch area.
Interests elsewhere in the Carolinas and the mid-Atlantic coast
should monitor the progress of Elsa.
DISCUSSION AND OUTLOOK
———————-
At 800 AM EDT (1200 UTC), the center of Tropical Storm Elsa was
located near latitude 24.5 North, longitude 82.6 West. Elsa is
moving toward the north-northwest near 12 mph (19 km/h) and this
general motion is expected to continue today, followed by a turn
toward the north by tonight. A north-northeastward motion is
expected on Wednesday. On the forecast track, Elsa will continue to
pass near the Florida Keys this morning, and move near or over
portions of the west coast of Florida later today through tonight.
On Wednesday morning, Elsa is forecast to make landfall along the
north Florida Gulf coast and then move northeastward across the
southeastern United States through Thursday.
Maximum sustained winds remain near 60 mph (95 km/h) with higher
gusts. Slow strengthening is forecast through tonight, and Elsa
could be near hurricane strength before it makes landfall in
Florida. Weakening is expected after Elsa moves inland.
Tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 70 miles (110 km)
from the center. A C-MAN station at Sand Key, Florida, recently
measured a wind gust of 52 mph (83 km/h). The Key West
International Airport also recently measured a wind gust of 48 mph
(77 km/h).
The estimated minimum central pressure is 1007 mb (29.74 inches).
As you can see, the weather is bound to deteriorate as the day progresses. So far, though, the forecast does not mention thunderstorms, just rain showers. Of course, as Elsa moves closer to the New Hometown area conditions will get worse even if Elsa does not strengthen to a Category 1 hurricane.
I’ll try to use my computer as long as I can today, although, with all the stress from Elsa and the symptoms of the Cold That Won’t Go Away, I doubt that I’ll get anything constructive done either today or tomorrow.
Other than that, Dear Reader, I don’t have a heck of a lot to report. I watched Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker in 4K UHD last night. I started watching it a bit later than usual (11:15 PM, I think), so I dozed off during part of Act II but woke up in time to see much of the film’s third act. I should have started the movie earlier – say, around 9 PM – but I watch stuff on a whim most of the time anyway, depending on my mood.
After the movie, I took my dose of NyQuil and went to sleep with Sandy the schnauzer at my feet. I woke up sometime after 8 AM and had breakfast; the Caregiver had served me two waffles and the usual cup of café con leche earlier, but I was still asleep then, so everything was cold by the time I ate.
Well, that’s all the news that’s fit to print, so I’ll close for now. Stay safe, stay healthy, and let’s hope Elsa’s bark is worse than its bite!
A Certain Point of View, Too 
Comments
9 responses to “Musings & Thoughts for Tuesday, July 6, 2021, or: Waiting for Elsa”
I hope you all stay safe. And UNPLUG your electronics before it hits so you don’t get a power surge when the power comes back on!
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Oh, trust me. I know all about the unplugging of electronics before a storm hits.
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Yeah, someone else I know said that and fried their laptop. LOL
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Well, the folks that I live with think I’m nuts when I unplug my electronics before a thunderstorm starts here, but I’d rather be thought of as “crazy” rather than lose a TV or a computer.
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I never remember to get batteries flashlights, bottles of water, or whatever else one purchases before a huge storm hits (I just make sure I have bathroom tissue), but my computer and my coffee pot are always unplugged. The TV I can do without until I can afford another, but the coffee pot? NO WAY!
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I don’t have to worry about the supplies. That is the homeowner’s area of responsibility.
I am pretty obsessed about unplugging stuff to prevent power surge issues. I think I even posted about the topic a while back.
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As long as you’re safe, everything else can be replaced. Stay safe!
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Thank you for the good wishes!
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🙏🌺
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