http://www.thedailygreen.com/environmental-news/latest/tropical-storm-bertha-47071801
7.18.2008 9:05 AM
Bertha Is Longest-Lived Tropical Storm in History
No July Tropical Storm Has Lasted 2 Weeks, Let Alone 15 Days ... and Counting
Tropical Storm Bertha, which formed in the far-eastern Atlantic off the coast of Africa on
July 3, is still meandering through the Atlantic, 15 days later, making it the longest-lived storm
ever recorded during July in the Atlantic.
In fact, it's already beaten the record by more than two days. The previous record-holder was
a 1916 storm that lasted 12 days and change, according to Bloomberg.
The second named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season has proved surprising and
perplexing as it slowly moves through warm Atlantic waters.
It reached hurricane strength July 7, then quickly grew into a Category 3 storm, a rare
occurrence for July. The tropical storm season typically peaks in mid-September, and
hurricanes, let alone major hurricanes, are infrequent earlier than about mid-August.
Bertha lost hurricane strength just before brushing by Bermuda July 14, bought she still
brought strong winds and rain to the island, and strong surf as far away as the U.S. East Coast
Bertha's strength and long life may not bode well for the rest of the tropical storm season.
Side Note:
By July 18, Tropical Storm Bertha had become the longest-lived tropical storm ever recorded
in July in the Atlantic. It formed on July 3, and was still churning 15 days later. Forecasters
said it could retain tropical storm strength until about July 20.
-------------
Tropical Storm Fay, Huge Rain Maker - 30-36"
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/florida/story/651015.html
TROPICAL STORM FAY
Gov. Crist seeks disaster aid for Tropical Storm Fay
The governor asked for federal help after Tropical Storm Fay
unexpectedly flooded Central Florida, leaving five feet of water in
some places.
21 August 2008
BY JENNIFER LEBOVICH, MARC CAPUTO AND EVAN S. BENN
ebenn@MiamiHerald.com
PORT ST. LUCIE -- Tropical Storm Fay's torrential downpours flooded people out of their
homes, forced airboat evacuations and threatened to so overwhelm emergency officials that
Gov. Charlie Crist requested a federal disaster declaration.
''This storm is turning into a serious catastrophic flooding event, particularly in southern
Brevard County,'' Crist said, calling the deluge historic. ``Some areas could see rainfall of as
much as 30 inches.''
By the time Crist requested the federal aid from President Bush on Wednesday afternoon, Fay
had unexpectedly parked itself near Cape Canaveral. The churning system dropped nearly two
feet of rain in some spots, submerging cropland and swamping front yards with backed-up
sewage.
Fay so far has spun off tornadoes that touched down in seven counties, including one Brevard
twister that demolished nine homes and damaged some 40 more, officials said.
Though Fay never grew into a hurricane, it cut power to tens of thousands from the Gulf to
the Atlantic coasts.It was blamed for one death in Florida -- a Highlands County man
overcome by carbon-monoxide fumes as he tested a generator in his garage long before the
storm arrived.
Fay has consistently bedeviled forecasters, emergency officials and residents alike. It
weakened when it was expected to strengthen and strengthened when it was forecast to
weaken. When it was supposed to leave, it stayed.
And it rained. And rained.
''There was rain down the road, and it was up to my chest. And I'm six feet tall. I was
shocked,'' said Daniel Horrach, who has lived in Port St. Lucie for 10 years.
''This is the worst flooding I've seen,'' Horrach said, comparing it to storms that lashed the
area in 2004. ``I've seen Jeanne and Frances and they did more damage, but this is more
water.''
WETTER FORECASTS
Even more is on the way.
Fay was projected to make a rare third landfall in Florida -- it hit Key West Monday and then
Cape Romano Tuesday -- near St. Augustine early Thursday. As the storm lumbers on,
officials are worried that more Floridians face trouble, especially if it heads out to sea, gains
force and then returns to land.
If it then continues on its westward track through the Panhandle, Fay will have touched nearly
every part of the state, making it one of the longest-lasting and widest-traveled of tropical
storms.
''Don't underestimate the force and power of water,'' state meteorologist Ben Nelson said.
Florida National Guard troops helped evacuate people from waist-deep water in Brevard.
Sewage from the county's overwhelmed water-treatment system poured into some 40,000
properties near Melbourne Beach, and Glades County reported similar problems after nearly 20
inches of rain fell there.
In Daytona Beach, the attorney general's office dispatched a division of its Medicaid help team
to assist disabled people who were attending a conference at the Hilton Hotel and got trapped
there by the flooding.
CROPS TAKE BEATING
In his request to President Bush, Crist said Fay delivered ''copious amounts of rain'' and wind
that caused damage in 22 counties.
Crist said he anticipates ''significant'' sugar-crop losses and delays in the planting season for
winter vegetables in South Florida. He also said Fay's flooding could jeopardize entire crops of
fruit, cotton, hay, corn, peanuts and tobacco grown throughout Florida.
Fay picked up moisture from the Everglades and Lake Okeechobee during its northeast trek
across Florida. The rain helped revive the long-struggling lake, which is South Florida's major
water source, and citrus growers welcomed some precipitation. But in many areas, the rain
was too much.
''Some people won't be able to get out of their houses until the water recedes,'' said Yvonne
Martinez, a spokeswoman for the city of Palm Bay, near Melbourne. Many roadways there
were rendered impassable by two to three feet of rainwater. About 200 streets in St. Lucie
County were flooded and unusable, officials said.
The storm -- still blowing 50 mph winds but showing signs of significant deterioration -- was
taking a western turn Wednesday night, and forecasters said it could drop 10 to 15 inches of
rain as it crosses North Florida.
Fay will likely be remembered as ''a very wet storm,'' said Lixion Avila, a senior hurricane
specialist at the National Hurricane Center in west Miami-Dade County.
Fay, which had been blamed for at least 14 deaths in Haiti and the Dominican Republic,
technically become a killer storm in Florida when the Highlands County medical examiner
ruled Wednesday that a death was storm-related.
John Robert Graves, 54, was found dead by his wife Saturday at their Lake Placid home, just
northwest of Lake Okeechobee. Graves had bought a generator in anticipation of Fay's arrival.
While his wife ran an errand, Graves tested the generator in his garage and became poisoned
by the odorless gas.
Crist said the fatality underscored the risks of storms, which often lead to death and injuries in
unexpected ways -- from poisoning to kite-surfing accidents at the beach to canal drownings
from drivers who veer off wet roads.
Officials also warned of the dangers posed by snakes and other animals that could get flushed
out by rain and come in contact with people.
Said state Surgeon General Dr. Ana Viamonte Ros: ``Beware of the animals.''
Miami Herald staff writer Nirvi Shah and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Records again being broken.
http://www.wtok.com/home/headlines/23084869.html
Tropical Storm Bertha Sets Record Save Email Print
7.18.2008 9:05 AM
Bertha Is Longest-Lived Tropical Storm in History
No July Tropical Storm Has Lasted 2 Weeks, Let Alone 15 Days ... and Counting
Tropical Storm Bertha, which formed in the far-eastern Atlantic off the coast of Africa on
July 3, is still meandering through the Atlantic, 15 days later, making it the longest-lived storm
ever recorded during July in the Atlantic.
In fact, it's already beaten the record by more than two days. The previous record-holder was
a 1916 storm that lasted 12 days and change, according to Bloomberg.
The second named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season has proved surprising and
perplexing as it slowly moves through warm Atlantic waters.
It reached hurricane strength July 7, then quickly grew into a Category 3 storm, a rare
occurrence for July. The tropical storm season typically peaks in mid-September, and
hurricanes, let alone major hurricanes, are infrequent earlier than about mid-August.
Bertha lost hurricane strength just before brushing by Bermuda July 14, bought she still
brought strong winds and rain to the island, and strong surf as far away as the U.S. East Coast
Bertha's strength and long life may not bode well for the rest of the tropical storm season.
Side Note:
By July 18, Tropical Storm Bertha had become the longest-lived tropical storm ever recorded
in July in the Atlantic. It formed on July 3, and was still churning 15 days later. Forecasters
said it could retain tropical storm strength until about July 20.
-------------
Tropical Storm Fay, Huge Rain Maker - 30-36"
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/florida/story/651015.html
TROPICAL STORM FAY
Gov. Crist seeks disaster aid for Tropical Storm Fay
The governor asked for federal help after Tropical Storm Fay
unexpectedly flooded Central Florida, leaving five feet of water in
some places.
21 August 2008
BY JENNIFER LEBOVICH, MARC CAPUTO AND EVAN S. BENN
ebenn@MiamiHerald.com
PORT ST. LUCIE -- Tropical Storm Fay's torrential downpours flooded people out of their
homes, forced airboat evacuations and threatened to so overwhelm emergency officials that
Gov. Charlie Crist requested a federal disaster declaration.
''This storm is turning into a serious catastrophic flooding event, particularly in southern
Brevard County,'' Crist said, calling the deluge historic. ``Some areas could see rainfall of as
much as 30 inches.''
By the time Crist requested the federal aid from President Bush on Wednesday afternoon, Fay
had unexpectedly parked itself near Cape Canaveral. The churning system dropped nearly two
feet of rain in some spots, submerging cropland and swamping front yards with backed-up
sewage.
Fay so far has spun off tornadoes that touched down in seven counties, including one Brevard
twister that demolished nine homes and damaged some 40 more, officials said.
Though Fay never grew into a hurricane, it cut power to tens of thousands from the Gulf to
the Atlantic coasts.It was blamed for one death in Florida -- a Highlands County man
overcome by carbon-monoxide fumes as he tested a generator in his garage long before the
storm arrived.
Fay has consistently bedeviled forecasters, emergency officials and residents alike. It
weakened when it was expected to strengthen and strengthened when it was forecast to
weaken. When it was supposed to leave, it stayed.
And it rained. And rained.
''There was rain down the road, and it was up to my chest. And I'm six feet tall. I was
shocked,'' said Daniel Horrach, who has lived in Port St. Lucie for 10 years.
''This is the worst flooding I've seen,'' Horrach said, comparing it to storms that lashed the
area in 2004. ``I've seen Jeanne and Frances and they did more damage, but this is more
water.''
WETTER FORECASTS
Even more is on the way.
Fay was projected to make a rare third landfall in Florida -- it hit Key West Monday and then
Cape Romano Tuesday -- near St. Augustine early Thursday. As the storm lumbers on,
officials are worried that more Floridians face trouble, especially if it heads out to sea, gains
force and then returns to land.
If it then continues on its westward track through the Panhandle, Fay will have touched nearly
every part of the state, making it one of the longest-lasting and widest-traveled of tropical
storms.
''Don't underestimate the force and power of water,'' state meteorologist Ben Nelson said.
Florida National Guard troops helped evacuate people from waist-deep water in Brevard.
Sewage from the county's overwhelmed water-treatment system poured into some 40,000
properties near Melbourne Beach, and Glades County reported similar problems after nearly 20
inches of rain fell there.
In Daytona Beach, the attorney general's office dispatched a division of its Medicaid help team
to assist disabled people who were attending a conference at the Hilton Hotel and got trapped
there by the flooding.
CROPS TAKE BEATING
In his request to President Bush, Crist said Fay delivered ''copious amounts of rain'' and wind
that caused damage in 22 counties.
Crist said he anticipates ''significant'' sugar-crop losses and delays in the planting season for
winter vegetables in South Florida. He also said Fay's flooding could jeopardize entire crops of
fruit, cotton, hay, corn, peanuts and tobacco grown throughout Florida.
Fay picked up moisture from the Everglades and Lake Okeechobee during its northeast trek
across Florida. The rain helped revive the long-struggling lake, which is South Florida's major
water source, and citrus growers welcomed some precipitation. But in many areas, the rain
was too much.
''Some people won't be able to get out of their houses until the water recedes,'' said Yvonne
Martinez, a spokeswoman for the city of Palm Bay, near Melbourne. Many roadways there
were rendered impassable by two to three feet of rainwater. About 200 streets in St. Lucie
County were flooded and unusable, officials said.
The storm -- still blowing 50 mph winds but showing signs of significant deterioration -- was
taking a western turn Wednesday night, and forecasters said it could drop 10 to 15 inches of
rain as it crosses North Florida.
Fay will likely be remembered as ''a very wet storm,'' said Lixion Avila, a senior hurricane
specialist at the National Hurricane Center in west Miami-Dade County.
Fay, which had been blamed for at least 14 deaths in Haiti and the Dominican Republic,
technically become a killer storm in Florida when the Highlands County medical examiner
ruled Wednesday that a death was storm-related.
John Robert Graves, 54, was found dead by his wife Saturday at their Lake Placid home, just
northwest of Lake Okeechobee. Graves had bought a generator in anticipation of Fay's arrival.
While his wife ran an errand, Graves tested the generator in his garage and became poisoned
by the odorless gas.
Crist said the fatality underscored the risks of storms, which often lead to death and injuries in
unexpected ways -- from poisoning to kite-surfing accidents at the beach to canal drownings
from drivers who veer off wet roads.
Officials also warned of the dangers posed by snakes and other animals that could get flushed
out by rain and come in contact with people.
Said state Surgeon General Dr. Ana Viamonte Ros: ``Beware of the animals.''
Miami Herald staff writer Nirvi Shah and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Records again being broken.
http://www.wtok.com/home/headlines/23084869.html
Tropical Storm Bertha Sets Record Save Email Print
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CLIMATE CHANGE