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Beware Florida's Weather
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Location: Blogs Now We're Talking |
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| Posted by: Joe Byrnes |
8/15/2007 10:51 AM |
This entry ran as the Now We're Talking column on Wednesday, Aug. 15.
It's August in Florida. We can either move somewhere else for the month or keep a careful eye on the weather.
Star-Banner reporter Joe Callahan, who has written more articles about Marion County weather than just about anybody, summed up the situation for me.
"We're in the Lightning Capital of the World," he said. "So, technically, you could walk out the door and get struck by lightning, bitten by a poisonous snake and a brown recluse spider and hit by hurricane just on the way to the mail box .Ê.Ê. and probably you'd get heat stroke somewhere in there."
So it pays to stay alert. Here are some things to watch for:
- In case you haven't noticed, it is dangerously hot. On several days during the past week or so, the National Weather Service issued heat advisories. Eventually, even the Health Department issued a warning.
Temperatures were in the upper 90s, and the heat index - which combines humidity and temperature to measure how hot it feels - was up around 110 degrees.
The advisories urged people to drink plenty of fluids, stay in air-conditioned spaces, if possible, and stay out of the sun. They also told us to check on relatives and neighbors who may be especially vulnerable, like those who are elderly or do not have air-conditioning.
- Just about every afternoon, we have thunderstorms rumbling through the county - sometimes bringing high winds, hail, flooding and the threat of tornadoes.
It's a good idea to have a weather alert radio you can set for Marion County. That will give a little extra warning and time to get inside and away from the windows.
- All that rainfall - settling in ponds, kiddie pools, old tires, bird baths - becomes a breeding ground for mosquitoes.
They are more than a nuisance. They can carry diseases like the West Nile virus and Eastern equine encephalitis.
And during this time of year, the Health Department sometimes issues advisories reminding people of the dangers of mosquito-borne illnesses. The precautions - you've probably heard them before - are to avoid going outside at dawn or dusk, to wear protective clothing or an insect repellent containing DEET, and to get rid of standing water near the house.
- By the middle of the month - that's today - we have entered the peak of the Atlantic hurricane season. Now through mid-October is the worst time for hurricanes.
On Tuesday, Tropical Storm Dean got cranked up in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean on a track that could affect the Dominican Republic by Sunday.
The storm deserves watching. In August 1992, Hurricane Andrew passed within 400 miles of Dean's Tuesday morning coordinates before pummelling South Florida. But, then, so have other storms that spun off harmlessly into the north Atlantic.
Dean is the first storm this hurricane season that appears it may threaten Florida.
"The possibility of a land strike would be late next week at the earliest," said county Emergency Management Director Chip Wildy. "There is no reason for people not to be prepared. ... You're preparing yourself to minimize the impact of a possible strike."
You'll need a plan. The state's disaster preparedness Web site www.floridadisaster.org makes that easy. Answer a few questions and it generates a checklist for you. Then, as the storm gets closer, you'll know what you need to do to get ready.
You'll also find information there - and on ocala.com - about preparing your home and getting the supplies you need.
Joe Byrnes may be reached at joe@ocala.com, ocala.com/blogs or 867-4112.
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