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- - - 2001 Hurricane Season - - -

- 3PM Update:
  • From: "Happy Man" <cloud-9 AT tds.net>
  • Date: Thu, 23 Aug 2001 15:22:04 -0400
American Airlines reports that all flights in and out of Provo are now back to the normal schedule.
 
Provo weather conditions are extremely normal. Winds from the East about 10 mph. VERY hot. About 95 degrees, humidity around 65%, and sunny. Thus far, no effects from the *former* TS Deano, now just crummy Tropical Wave Deano, who has been "reduced for clearance."
 
Wifey-Carol is smiling again with the knowledge that she did not miss any chance of filming this "loser," since it was nothing at all in the first place...That latest wave coming from Africa looks rather large and menacing and we should be back on-island well before it hits, IF it ever hits us, so wifey-Carol is all smiles again hoping against hope that she will still be able to use her Fancy-Dan camcorder and of course that air balloon that she bought and intends to go up in the air about 300 feet with to grab some aerial shots of the next major storm if and when the TCI ever sees one. So all is well again.
 
There is a slight chance that the TCI could see some minor wind, and even some much-needed rain from the remnants of "Tropical Sham" Deano tomorrow. But nothing severe. "Deano the Dunce" is history, baby! :-)

- 11AM EDT Update:
  • From: "Happy Man" <cloud-9 AT tds.net>
  • Date: Thu, 23 Aug 2001 10:55:01 -0400
Update:
 
As of 11AM EDT TS Dean has definitely weakened. Maximum sustained winds are now down to 35MPH.
 
Bulletin: "THE GOVERNMENT OF THE BAHAMAS HAS DISCONTINUED ALL WARNINGS AND WATCHES FOR THE BAHAMAS AND THE TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS."
 
This is of course, very good news.
 
It is still quite likely that the TCI will experience higher winds and more rain than usual, but surely not what it could have been had TS Dean not lost much of its "punch."
 
Updates as required and as available.......
 

- Please head North, you bum!!
  • From: "Happy Man" <cloud-9 AT tds.net>
  • Date: Thu, 23 Aug 2001 10:42:30 -0400
Here is the latest relative to TS Dean and the TCI:
 
The TCI Government is taking the threat seriously. My trusty friend Leigh Ann, located on Provo, tells me that the Gov't is also meeting right now in Grand Turk, (her husband is in Gov't) making preparations should Dean hit the TCI.
 
American Airlines did depart from Provo at 8AM as scheduled, BUT AA has cancelled all other flights in and out of Provo till further notice, so obviously they also suspect that TS Dean is a real threat. As of 10AM EDT all businesses in the TCI are still open. Many are considering sending their employees home early, but no such action has been taken at this time.
 
Current weather conditions on Provo are very normal at this hour with no affects from Dean as of 10AM EDT.
 
It is presumed that if Dean does attack the TCI that the furthest Eastern island in the chain, Grand Turk (the nation's capital) will be hit first. TS Dean is a very erratic storm and all of TCI hopes that it will veer Northward, thus avoiding the TCI altogether...This is still possible.
 
Also keep in mind that though TS Dean packs sustained winds of 60 mph, with gusts slightly higher, that the "extending" winds reaching as far away as 175 miles are mostly to the East. As such, it is still possible that Dean will not cause as much damage as it could have had those extending winds been to the West.
 
Studying these charts that I brought with me as well as the latest satellite imagery leaves me with this conclusion, and this is ONLY an educated guess: I suspect that Dean might take a sharper turn to the North, thus sparing the TCI of the worst. I suspect that Grand Turk will get the brunt of the storm (what there is of it) and that Dean will be moving North more than he will be heading West and as such Provo may see much less wind and rain than will Grand Turk. And of course it is still quite possible that Dean will head North even before it hits Grand Turk. Wishful thinking? Yes, to a degree, yes!
 
More updates as I gather additional information from my "On-Island" associates such as Leigh Ann and John the Computer Guy.....
 
 

- DEANO! Who are you??
  • From: "Happy Man" <cloud-9 AT tds.net>
  • Date: Wed, 22 Aug 2001 18:48:05 -0400
What is this madness? What is this "sneak attack?" Who is this unwanted and unannounced visitor I see here on my trusty radar screen? Tropical Storm Deano? Who is this Super-Pest??
 
Now here's the bad news: Carol and I are NOT on the Island! We are traveling on business. Can you imagine how angered wifey-Carol is now that a REAL storm could possibly show up on our Island and wifey-Carol won't be there to film the potential mayhem? She is fuming!
 
Now, do not worry about not receiving up-to-date reports on TS Dean from me. As the "Official Internet Storm Reporter of the TCI" I take my job quite seriously. Meaning I have already assigned several "On-Island" associates to "feed" me live info which I will then report to you through the vehicle of this most valuable website. Granted the reports won't be first hand, (well not *my* first hand), but they will be accurate reports nonetheless, based upon phone calls and e-mail conversations I intend to continue with these trusty correspondents.
 
Here is the latest: No one on the Island seems too concerned with TS Dean at this time. All airlines are, at least at this writing, operating normally. Weather conditions at this time are very normal. Temp is 87, humidity right about 65% where it usually is and the winds quite normal at about 10MPH from the East. Of course all of that could change. Local reporters are suggesting that no adverse effects from TS Dean would be felt till late Thursday, or sometime Friday. But much can happen between now and then.
 
Studying all my charts and graphs (Yes I brought them all with me on this trusty laptop) I must say I do NOT like the looks of TS Dean.  This "Sneak-attack" little monster is not following the track of most previous storms that almost always seem to avoid the TCI. This bum is not targeted to bang into the D.R. (Dominican Republic) as many in the past have done. Passing through the D.R. usually kills most storms owing to the mountainous conditions there. So if TS Dean doesn't make a left turn and crash into the D.R. then the TCI could face some problems. The other possibility for TCI's survival would be if TS Dean turns north and heads, say, to Bermuda, thus avoiding the TCI altogether. So the only way the TCI can avoid conflict with TS Dean is for him to head south and bang into the D.R. or turn northward and pass us by completely. Unfortunately, based upon his current path, TS Dean is not turning North or South, and thusly we are faced with a serious threat as of this hour.
 
I will be monitoring this most carefully!
 
Happy Man

- Hello Belize! Hello Cancun!
  • From: "Happy Man" <cloud-9 AT tds.net>
  • Date: Sun, 19 Aug 2001 21:49:08 -0400
Cancun! Belize! Where are you ? Hello, are you out there?
 
We've had some great reports from the Caymans and Antigua, but we have yet to hear from you folks. Hello, are you out there? Do you need anything? Hello, we are all in this together. This very web site's sucess and efficiency is based upon "live" reports, not outdated stuff we receive from the other entities. We need to hear from you folks. Are you in need? Is there something we can do for you? If we don't hear from you, there's nothing we can do for you. Tell us what you are experiencing. Tell us your situation. Please don't wait till it's too late.
 
Surely there is at least one entity there who has internet access and is aware of this most useful web site and all that it represents. We stand at the ready. Thank you.
 
 
Dr. Steve Marek
"Official Internet Hurricane Reporter, TCI, BWI"

- Hot Air Baloon??
  • From: "Happy Man" <cloud-9 AT tds.net>
  • Date: Fri, 17 Aug 2001 09:36:02 -0400
"Darn it! No Chantal. No big chance for me to film a Hurricane in-person. This is maddening. I had my super-dooper camcorder all ready, I had purchased $200 worth of AA batteries, and I even rented a hot air baloon." "Wifey Carol, sweetheart. A hot air baloon? You had rented a hot air balloon? Good heavens sweetie, why a hot air baloon? "Silly boy! Isn't it obvious? I was planning to get myself up there 300 feet in the air to film Hurricane Chantal and grab some excellent aerial photos. I know for sure with that level of dedication I could surely have surpassed the feats of my favorite TV Chinese Weather-Gal, Hoccasionally Wong!"
 
Oh my!
 
Well you know what they say: You can please some of the people all of the time, some of the people some of the time, but you can't please all of the people in the summertime. Or something like that.....
 
Needless to say, as a result of having studied dozens and dozens of charts and graphs as well as judging from history itself, the odds of Chantal causing us here in the TCI any appreciable adverse weather at all is now less than 2%. Those of you who have made plans to visit here should not be concerned with Chantal at this time. The only way Chantal could threaten us would be for her to gain massive strength, then suddenly turn dramatically northward, pass through or around the Dominican Republic (D.R.) and miraculously find a way to our shores. Is that possible? Yes. Is it very likely? Good heavens, NO! Good bye Chantal!

- A Genuine Storm?
  • From: "Happy Man" <cloud-9 AT tds.net>
  • Date: Thu, 16 Aug 2001 08:10:43 -0400
Well one thing is becoming painfully obvious and that is TD4 appears to be a genuine storm. And as such, it now represents a genuine and real threat. Those of you reading *this* report are of course concerned with the threat of TD4 (or possibly Hurricane Chantal) to the TCI. Which is not at all to minimize the importance of the threat this storm presents to other islands located much further east of us such as Barbados, Anguilla, Antigua etc. But those islands seem to be very well represented by qualified reporters sending us very valuable information, as we speak. The purpose of *this* report is to concern ourselves directly with the current weather conditions here, and of course more importantly, the conditions in the very near future.
 
We have been, and will continue to monitor this threat MOST carefully and make every attempt to inform you as to what to expect should you own property here, have friends/acquaintances here or of course intend to visit the TCI in the near future. Judging from the huge numbers of e-mails I am receiving, it certainly appears that numerous folks are planning a vacation here over the next week and are MOST concerned about the impending threat of this storm on their respective travel plans.
 
The very vast majority of people do NOT want a Hurricane. That's patently obvious. Most folks, except wifey-Carol that is, who, as you may know, is still bent on filming a real Hurricane in-person, risking life, limb and sanity in so doing. So, needless to say her "Strike-force probabilities" are much higher than mine. She now reports that she feels the chance of the TCI being hit by this storm is around 35%. I feel it is less than 20%. Some of her 35% estimate is of course "wishful thinking!" She now claims that she had a very colorful and real dream last night that an errant oil truck was parked right here in our third floor living room having been blown in through our massive plate glass windows/doors by Hurricane force winds.
 
So wifey-Carol's unbridled enthusiasm aside for the moment, let's look at the facts:
 
1) TD4 is NOT a Hurricane at this time. It is still a Tropical Depression. There's a big difference. The current wind speeds of TD4 are 35 to 40 mph. A Category 1 Hurricane packs sustained winds of no less than 75 mph.
 
2) Though TD4 is not yet a Hurricane, nonetheless may seasoned weather experts are predicting that it will soon acquire the necessary requisite wind speeds to indeed become a Hurricane over the course of the next 24 hours.
 
3) On its current path TD4 is extremely UNLIKELY to affect the TCI.
 
4) But many are predicting that TD4 (Hurricane Chantal?) will change direction soon and start heading further north. That is not good news for us.
 
5) Based upon its current rate of speed (28 mph) TD4 (Hurricane Chantal) could become a problem for us on or about Saturday.
 
6) As we have mentioned several times, most Hurricanes which head into our general direction tend to pass through the Dominican Republic (D.R.) and lose almost all their strength in that mountainous region. In order for TD4 (Hurricane Chantal) to actually strike the TCI it would almost assuredly have to pass north of the D.R. That means it would have to change course rather dramatically.
 
7) The next 24 to 36 hours will be critical. We will know much more as to whether or not TD4 (Hurricane Chantal) poses a real threat to us.
 
 
Feel free to contact the undersigned for further updates.
 
 
Dr. Steve Marek
"Official Internet Storm Reporter, TCI"
 
 

- TD4: A Threat to Us?
  • From: "Happy Man" <cloud-9 AT tds.net>
  • Date: Wed, 15 Aug 2001 15:08:32 -0400
Well now, what's this ugly looking blemish I see here on my radar screen? Appears to be some sort of Tropical Depression. Now I hear that there are a few predictions from some very knowledgeable folks that TD4 could gather some strength and possibly become a Hurricane. This is of course not what any sane person would regard as good news. Well I don't wish to cast aspersions, but wifey-Carol over here is already counting down the days when this "Weather Atrocity" just might come visit us here on Providenciales Island in the TCI. In fact, wifey-Carol got dressed early this AM, drove down to the local hardware store and purchased $200 worth of AA batteries for her camcorder in the faint hope that she might finally get a chance to film a real hurricane, in-person.
 
Hold on there sweet wifey. This Tropical Depression hasn't even hit Hurricane strength yet, nor has it even officially threatened any land mass. Not to mention the fact that even if it did, it would be a long shot at best for it to even make is this far.
 
So one might say that wifey-Carol's exorbitant battery purchase was by all means a bit "premature." And that's putting it mildly!
 
Needless to say we are, however, watching TD4 carefully. One disturbing fact from our personal vantage point here in the TCI is that TD4 seems to be heading towards Anguilla. That is not particularly good for us. Storms which threaten the northern islands such as Anguilla and Antigua, as opposed to Barbados or Trinidad are just a bit more likely to threaten the TCI. Nonetheless, it is a VERY long way from Antigua to the TCI and a great deal can happen to a TD from there to here. Further, it would not be for a least 4 to 6 days before we would even be the least bit concerned with TD4 or whatever it's called by the time it gets here, IF it ever gets here!
 
At this MOST early time, we are predicting that the chance of TD4 visiting the TCI is much less than 10%. At this time it is simply not a legitimate
threat.
 
We will of course be monitoring this situation most carefully. Updates as required.
 
 
Dr. Steve Marek
"Official Internet Storm Reporter, TCI"

- Storm? What storm?
  • From: "Happy Man" <cloud-9 AT tds.net>
  • Date: Tue, 7 Aug 2001 08:11:21 -0400
Good morning boys and girls. Well, they tell us it's that time of year again. Ah yes, that time of the season when Tropical Depressions, Recessions, and Obsessions begin their merry jaunt towards the various islands of the Carib. As the Official Storm Reporter for the Turks and Caicos Islands, both wifey-Carol and I are even more prepared this year than we were last year to bring you up-to-the minute news and views from the TCI. We are located on Grace Bay Beach on Providenciales, high atop the third floor with an excellent view of the beach, ocean and all that might occur. We face due north.
 
This year we have upgraded our equipment. We possess eleven computers, two of which are laptops, all of which are networked together. We now have three ways to communicate with the Internet. And we have acquired a plethora of battery-powered equipment in the unlikely event the electricity should fail. We are now armed with a basic 56k modem hook-up, a dedicated Cable and Wireless 128k line and a Fancy-Dan satellite Internet receiving system (1300 downlink/512k uplink). In the unlikely event of sustained winds of over 40 MPH however, the satellite dish will need to be temporarily dismantled, but we would still have two other ways to "stay connected."
 
It was late August of 2000 when we first discovered this amazingly effective and most informing web site and of course it was in the latter part of August when the TCI was threatened with the first Hurricane of 2000. Since that time we have made numerous "Electronic friends." We again this year plan to offer any and all information any of you may require. Last year we were quite impressed with the "International Reach" of this web site. We were most pleased to assist those of you who own property here, have friends or acquaintances here, and/or of course are planning a well-deserved vacation here.
 
As many of you may recall no Hurricane ever touched land here at the TCI last summer/fall. That of course was good news for all of us. Well almost all of us, that is. You see, wifey-Carol was quite disappointed. She had her brand new Super-Dooper camcorder all primed and ready to film a Hurricane first-hand. She was planning to become a true "Weather-Reporting Star." She had hoped to brave the elements and capture anything that flew by our third story window, such as horses, chaise lounges, even an errant oil truck or two. So, since we had no Hurricanes, she spent the entire winter "stewing." However, she has upgraded her "film-making equipment" and is "raring to go" again this year should the opportunity arise. But unfortunately for her, the odds of us getting a direct Hurricane hit here are not high. Most Hurricanes heading in our direction tend to pass through the Dominican Republic and lose most of their strength in that mountainous region.
 
Anyway, should weather become an issue here, and that is surely still a distinct possibility, rest assured we will be here to issue constant updates.
 
 
Dr. Steve Marek
"Official Storm Reporter of the TCI."
 

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