Tropical Storm Erin, still churning closer to the African coast than the American or Caribbean, is expected to become a major hurricane by the weekend as it moves west. It is not expected to pose a danger to the Florida Peninsula, Flagler County included, Flagler County Emergency Management Director Jonathan Lord said today. But he added a word of caution: Erin is too far to rule out a more onerous turn.
“Tropic storm Erin is forecast to become the first major hurricane of our hurricane season,” Lord said, speaking to a “hurricane-preparedness expo” at the Palm Coast Community Center this morning. The expo was scheduled well before Erin chromosomed out of African dust last weekend. It is generating headlines, Lord said, but only because it is to be the first major hurricane. Unpredictable turns aside, Lord said “it is not a worry for our communities.”
He cautioned, however, that the storm forecast is not reliable past the seven day mark. It is at roughly the six-to-seven-day mark that Erin is forecast to sharply veer north from the Antilles. According to the American forecast (see the animation at the top of this article), Erin will travel north well to the east of the American land mass. Higher seat temperatures will power it into a major hurricane, according to the National Hurricane Center, and Lord said that before the “consensus forecast” formed, a couple of models showed the storm moving further west. But those are outliers, he said.
“Erin could move close enough to the northern Leeward Islands, Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico over the weekend to produce some impacts on those islands. However, the magnitude of those impacts is still not known, the National Hurricane Center’s afternoon forecast said. “There is even greater uncertainty in what impacts might occur in portions of the Greater Antilles, the Bahamas, the east coast of the United States, and Bermuda next week. As we approach the climatological peak of the hurricane season, this is an opportune time to ensure your preparedness plans are in place.”
Alex DaSilva, AccuWeather’s lead hurricane expert, said in a statement: “Water temperatures across much of the Atlantic main development region are plenty warm to support tropical development and even rapid intensification. Temperatures at the surface and hundreds of feet deep are higher than the historical average in many places. We are entering the time of year when ocean temperatures typically reach their warmest point of the year, between mid-August and mid-October.”
Sherry says
While we personally don’t eat red meat, and don’t have a dog or cat, this article from the AP was certainly an eye opener. The major “climate change” impact of “meat eating” by humans and animals is something to really consider, especially with “beef” consumption.
AP Aug. 13, 2025:
Why dogs have a big climate impact
Dogs are big meat eaters, and meat is a significant contributor to climate change. That is because many of the farm animals, which will become food, release methane, a greenhouse gas that contributes to climate change. Beef is especially impactful, in part because around the world cattle are often raised on land that was illegally deforested. Since trees absorb carbon dioxide, the most abundant greenhouse gas, cutting them to then raise cattle is a double whammy.
“People just don’t associate pets with carbon emissions. That link is not clear in people’s minds.”
Pogo says
@As stated:
https://www.google.com/search?q=obligated+carnivore
Eat prey, love, learn…