The Calm Before The Storm

11:17 pm Previous Hurricanes Archive 25 Comments

I just wanted to post quickly before one of three possible things happen: 1. I fall into a coma from being totally exhausted. 2. They actually do shut off the power in Cancun. 3. Hurricane Dean finally hits.

We are expecting heavy rains, strong winds and possible street flooding here in Cancun. But my home and family are ready for this monster. Now that the preparations are done we just need to catch up on normal things like eating meals, taking showers, feeding pets and rest.

My thoughts and prayers go to the people south of us who will take the brunt of Hurricane Dean’s wrath.

Mahajual, which has one of the most beautiful beaches on earth, is set to take a serious beating in this storm. And Chetumal, which is the capital of the state of Quintana Roo (Mexico’s eastern-most state and home of Cancun, Cozumel and the Riviera Maya), is facing it’s worst hurricane in many years. I’ve heard that in Chetumal’s last major hurricane some of the homes (made of wood) literally floated off their foundations and were set down elsewhere. I can even imagine.

I’m not sure how long I’ll have power and internet. But I will post again as soon as possible (well, as soon as possible after I get some sleep).

Posted by RiverGirl

RiverGirl’s Blog

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Like a Hurricane

11:04 pm Previous Hurricanes Archive 3 Comments

Ok, good night REALLY this time…..I will leave you with this….

posted by CancunCanuck aka Kelly

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In Cancun all is quiet

10:51 pm Previous Hurricanes Archive 3 Comments

Well, it’s 11:50pm in downtown Cancun and so far not that much has happened at all. We are supposed to be experiencing the most intense part of the storm in a couple of hours. I think we may get a few bumps and gusts yet, but right now things are quiet. Is it the lull before the storm or do we escape unscathed?

We did have a storm around 9pm which lasted around half an hour, and looked likely to be just the start. But it died away, we had some lights flicker but that didnt last long either. It’s not even rained here for two hours. I just went outside and we dont even have puddles in the street. Seriously! Winds are light and the only noise I can hear is a slight rustling of treetops and the hum of air con units.

Looking at the wind speed probabilities in Cancun for winds greater than 50 knots, the National Hurricane Center’s map shows a 0% chance for Cancun. And judging by what I see outside they are very much spot on.

It’s been a long day today, around 16 hours online. I’m off to sleep. If anything wakes me I’ll get out of bed and post but I’m starting to hope this may well be the most welcome anticlimax Cancun has seen in it’s short history.
Posted by Steve

Live Cancun Webcam | Cancun Message Board

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Off to rest

10:38 pm Previous Hurricanes Archive 5 Comments

One last post before I head to my bed. Things are still really calm here, no rain or wind to speak of. We all just said “Good night, see you in a couple of hours” as we suspect that the bad weather will get us out of bed when it hits. I doubt we’ll have power then, so we’ll rely on our fearless US poster Dangers to keep you updated.

Some of you have asked about Cozumel, I haven’t heard anything to speak of, sorry. I think a lot of people got off the island in the last few days and they will have battened down the hatches. If anyone has info, post a comment and let us know. G’night for now, hopefully I’ll be checking in soon.

posted by CancunCanuck at 11:37 local time

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Hey, we’ve still got electricity :)

10:08 pm Previous Hurricanes Archive 8 Comments

Our full house is in good spirits (rum I guess), watching CNN and laughing about the sensationalism. Things are calm again weatherwise, no rain, no wind, no lightning. The youngest kids are asleep and oblivious. We are very, very worried about Chetumal and the areas south of us. Our houseguests just spent a few days in the beautiful nature reserve of Sian Kaan and it appears that it is in grave danger, very sad indeed. CNN seems to be suggesting a slight northern bend to Dean which would take it out of a direct hit on Chetumal, a good thing in terms of the safety of people, not so good for the natural reserves of the area. The fortunate thing is that the mangroves act as a natural barrier to hurricanes to protect the surrounding areas.

Back soon hopefully!

posted by CancunCanuck at 11:06 local time

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Update From Cancun Airport

10:03 pm Previous Hurricanes Archive 1 Comment

I just contacted a Mexican Immigration official who reports that the Cancun airport is still open, even though it was scheduled to close an hour ago. It appears that airport officials are trying to keep the airport open as long as conditions allow planes to take off safely.

I’ve also received an update on the number of international travelers who have left Cancun in the last two days. Yesterday just over 20,000 international travelers left Cancun via plane. And today just over 12,000 international travelers left Cancun via airplane. These numbers do not include national travelers, or those with international connections from other airports in Mexico; those travelers’ departures are not counted by Immigration in Cancun.

Posted by RiverGirl

RiverGirl’s Blog

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Electrical Outages/ Potential Shutdown

9:48 pm Previous Hurricanes Archive 7 Comments

Just a quick update, we’re hearing that there’s a local radio report in Cancun stating that electrical power will be shut down at 1:00 AM Cancun time. There are reports of outages in the City at this time, particularly SM22, where power seems to be going out and coming back on frequently over the last hour.

The outer bands of Hurricane Dean are now lashing onto the Mexican Caribbean coast.  ETA is expected around approximately 1-2 AM, Cancun time.

Posted By Dangers…

In a Little Cafe…

(Jim)

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Coastal Watches/Warnings and 3-Day Track Forecast Cone

9:28 pm Previous Hurricanes Archive No Comments

Dean Track 082007 11PM

Posted By Dangers…

Stay Calm, Stay Smart, Stay Safe…

(Jim)

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CATEGORY FIVE HURRICANE DEAN ADVISORY 11 PM/EST

9:18 pm Previous Hurricanes Archive 1 Comment

BULLETIN
HURRICANE DEAN ADVISORY NUMBER  32
NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL   AL042007
1100 PM EDT MON AUG 20 2007

…EYE OF POTENTIALLY CATASTROPHIC HURRICANE DEAN JUST A FEW HOURS
FROM LANDFALL ALONG THE EAST COAST OF THE YUCATAN PENINSULA…

AT 11 PM EDT…0300 UTC…THE GOVERNMENT OF MEXICO HAS EXTENDED THE
HURRICANE WARNING WESTWARD FROM CIUDAD DE CARMEN TO CHILITEPEC.  A
HURRICANE WARNING IS NOW IN EFFECT FOR THE ENTIRE COASTLINE OF
BELIZE…ALONG THE EAST COAST OF THE YUCATAN PENINSULA OF MEXICO
FROM THE BELIZE/MEXICO BORDER NORTHWARD TO CANCUN…AND ALONG THE
WEST COAST OF THE YUCATAN PENINSULA FROM SOUTH OF PROGRESSO
SOUTHWARD TO CHILITEPEC.  PREPARATIONS TO PROTECT LIFE AND PROPERTY
ALONG THE EAST COAST OF THE YUCATAN PENINSULA SHOULD HAVE ALREADY
BEEN COMPLETED.  PREPARATIONS ELSEWHERE IN THE HURRICANE WARNING
AREA SHOULD BE RUSHED TO COMPLETION.

AT 11 PM EDT…THE GOVERNMENT OF MEXICO HAS ISSUED A TROPICAL STORM
WARNING AND A HURRICANE WATCH FROM WEST OF CHILITEPEC WESTWARD TO
VERACRUZ MEXICO…AND A HURRICANE WATCH HAS ALSO BEEN ISSUED FROM
VERACRUZ TO TAMPICO.  A HURRICANE WATCH MEANS THAT HURRICANE
CONDITIONS ARE POSSIBLE WITHIN THE WATCH AREA…GENERALLY WITHIN 36
HOURS.  A TROPICAL STORM WARNING MEANS THAT TROPICAL STORM
CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED WITHIN THE WARNING AREA WITHIN THE NEXT 24
HOURS.

A TROPICAL STORM WARNING IS ALSO IN EFFECT ALONG THE NORTHERN COAST
OF THE YUCATAN PENINSULA FROM NORTH OF CANCUN TO PROGRESSO.

A TROPICAL STORM WATCH ALSO REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR THE FOLLOWING
PROVINCES OF CUBA…PINAR DEL RIO…LA HABANA…AND ISLA DE LA
JUVENTUD.

INTERESTS ELSEWHERE IN THE SOUTHERN GULF OF MEXICO SHOULD CLOSELY
MONITOR THE PROGRESS OF DEAN.

FOR STORM INFORMATION SPECIFIC TO YOUR AREA…INCLUDING POSSIBLE
INLAND WATCHES AND WARNINGS…PLEASE MONITOR PRODUCTS ISSUED
BY YOUR LOCAL WEATHER OFFICE.

AT 1100 PM EDT…0300Z…THE CENTER OF HURRICANE DEAN WAS LOCATED
NEAR LATITUDE 18.4 NORTH…LONGITUDE 86.0 WEST OR ABOUT 150 MILES…
245 KM…EAST OF CHETUMAL MEXICO AND ABOUT 310 MILES…500 KM…
EAST-SOUTHEAST OF CAMPECHE MEXICO.

DEAN IS MOVING TOWARD THE WEST NEAR 20 MPH…32 KM/HR…AND THIS
MOTION IS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE TONIGHT AND TUESDAY.  ON THE FORECAST
TRACK…THE EYE OF DEAN WILL MAKE LANDFALL ALONG THE EAST COAST OF
THE YUCATAN PENINSULA VERY EARLY TUESDAY MORNING.  DEAN WILL CROSS
THE YUCATAN PENINSULA DURING THE DAY ON TUESDAY AND LIKELY REACH
THE BAY OF CAMPECHE TUESDAY NIGHT.

MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS ARE NEAR 160 MPH…260 KM/HR…WITH HIGHER
GUSTS.  DEAN IS A POTENTIALLY CATASTROPHIC CATEGORY FIVE HURRICANE
ON THE SAFFIR-SIMPSON HURRICANE SCALE.  LITTLE CHANGE IN STRENGTH
IS EXPECTED PRIOR TO LANDFALL ON THE EAST COAST OF THE YUCATAN
PENINSULA.  ALTHOUGH SOME WEAKENING IS FORECAST AS DEAN CROSSES THE
YUCATAN PENINSULA…DEAN IS EXPECTED TO MAINTAIN HURRICANE STRENGTH
THROUGHOUT THE NEXT 24 HOURS.

HURRICANE FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 60 MILES…95 KM…FROM
THE CENTER…AND TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 175
MILES…280 KM.

THE MOST RECENT MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE MEASURED BY AN AIR FORCE
RESERVE RECONNAISSANCE AIRCRAFT WAS 914 MB…26.99 INCHES.

DEAN IS EXPECTED TO PRODUCE STORM TOTAL RAINFALL OF 5 TO 10 INCHES
OVER THE ISTHMUS OF TEHUANTEPEC AND YUCATAN PENINSULA OF
MEXICO…BELIZE…GUATEMALA…AND NORTHERN HONDURAS…WITH MAXIMUM
AMOUNTS OF UP TO 20 INCHES.  THESE RAINS COULD CAUSE
LIFE-THREATENING FLASH FLOODS AND MUD SLIDES.

STORM SURGE FLOODING OF 12 TO 18 FEET ABOVE NORMAL TIDE LEVELS IS
POSSIBLE NEAR AND TO THE NORTH OF WHERE DEAN MAKES LANDFALL ALONG
THE EAST COAST OF THE YUCATAN PENINSULA.

REPEATING THE 1100 PM EDT POSITION…18.4 N…86.0 W.  MOVEMENT
TOWARD…WEST NEAR 20 MPH.  MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS…160 MPH.
MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE…914 MB.

AN INTERMEDIATE ADVISORY WILL BE ISSUED BY THE NATIONAL HURRICANE
CENTER AT 200 AM EDT FOLLOWED BY THE NEXT COMPLETE ADVISORY AT 500
AM EDT.

$$
FORECASTER KNABB/ROBERTS

Posted by Dangers

Stay Calm, Stay Smart, Stay Safe…

(Jim)

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Suddenly Dean

8:25 pm Previous Hurricanes Archive 23 Comments

All of a sudden it’s raining hard and the wind is blowing hard. We suspect we will lose power shortly. Goosebumps on all our arms! Oh wow, it’s really blowing and it’s still early. Will continue to post as long as I can. Hang on Mexico!

posted by CancunCanuck 9:25 local time

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