Right click and click view image to see these full size, I want to keep them manageable for now.


If memory serves, Rita was initially projected to hit the Texas/Mexico border, and it ended up hitting close to the Texas/Louisiana border, so at this point I would think that the GOM assets are facing some very real potential risk.

I suspect that it is a question of when--and not if--that the the GOM assets get hit this hurricane season.

I'm no hurricane expert, but in the "what if" department, what if Dean does show the same kind of turn that Katrina and Rita showed:

Katrina
http://flhurricane.com/googlemap.php?2005s12

Rita
http://flhurricane.com/googlemap.php?2005s18

Yep. It's going to be all about the "turning winds"...if Dean runs into a strong upper westerly (which is prevailing), then he'll turn...right now the shear forecast is relatively moderate, or so they're saying over at easternuswx.com.

Latest Dean thread:
http://www.easternuswx.com/bb/index.php?showtopic=140133&st=320

On August 17, 1915 a hurricane blew into Galveston. The storm surge was 12 feet causing waves as high as 21 feet. The dead were numbered at 275 in Galveston.

http://www.brooklyneagle.com/categories/category.php?category_id=23&id=1...

The 1900 storm was much worse. Follow the link, read the story, look at the pictures BEFORE you consider staying in the path of a major hurricane, particularly in low lying coastal areas. We have done a lot to mitigate the affects of storms and storm surge, but please don't play chicken with a major hurricane.

EDIT: Wikipedia reference to the same storm http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galveston_Hurricane_of_1900