All the way back in May I stumbled across a press release from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration/National Weather Service. It caught my eye because the headline read something like, "NOAA predicts above-normal Atlantic hurricane season." When I clicked to an accompanying article, it was recommending that residents along the East Coast "lay in supplies before it's too late and the store shelves are empty." On the list of short-supply items were jugs of water, flashlights and batteries, duct tape and ply-wood sheeting.
The two pieces left no doubt that trouble was coming -- but what it did leave was me, sitting in front of my computer, wondering how in the heck they could accurately predict back then what is happening today. Growing up in Indiana, I was familiar with the kind of conditions necessary to spawn a tornado, but I admit I had no clue how forecasters could look out at blue skies and calm seas in May and accurately foretell a year in which thousands would die from the winds and waters of a seemingly ceaseless string of storms. These are the sites I found to clear up the conundrum.
• www.nhc.noaa.gov. August set a record (eight) for forming storms but Bonnie, Danielle and Hermine were nothing compared to our new worst friends, Ivan and Jeanne. The reading here is tragically fascinating -- like the almost-impossible-to-resist sideways glance as you pass an accident on the highway. The fact that the writing style is scientific, not conversational, makes it even more compelling somehow.
• www.hurricaneville.com. I can't get the movie "Hunt for Red October" out of my mind. And not just because it's one of my favorite films. No, I keep remembering them talking about the Russian sub pulling a "crazy Ivan," meaning that the sub would suddenly veer off course -- exactly what a certain hurricane of the same name has done. Read all about the Gulf's crazy Ivan and watch Tropics Tracker for a recreation of its path and fury. I love the writing and you just can't beat the graphics. This would be a good one for the classroom.
• www.hurricanehunters.com. If tornado tracking sounds fun to you, just wait until you fly into the eye of a hurricane with the Hurricane Hunters. Experience the turbulent punch through the wall, the sunny and peaceful stadium effect in the eye and the final plunge through the bumpy winds and blinding rains before a safe touchdown. And hey, they even award you a special Hurricane Hunters cyber-patch to testify to your accomplishment. This one's smart and clever.
• www.hurricanehollow.com. Here's another one that proves serious subjects can be handled with a humorous touch and still be in good taste. As the site says, "Welcome to Barometer Bob's Hurricane Hollow Weather Site. Among the colorful maps and informative charts you'll find a list of the rest of the names chosen for 2004. (I don't know about you, but Otto sounds like it could be a tough one.) Read all about the hurricane headaches and heartbreaks
• www.cruisefyi.com. Finally, if yours is a lemonade-out-of-lemons philosophy, Cruise FYI is donating $100 to the Salvation Army's hurricane relief fund for every seven-day-or-longer trip booked through their Internet site and $50 for each one made by phone. Cruise and make a charitable donation at the same time -- sounds like a deal to me -- but I think I'd be looking at West Coast departures just to be on the safe side.
Jan Perry is a Kentucky-based freelance writer. Her fascination with the weather comes from her father, who always watched the clouds for signs of serious storms to come. If there's a site that triggers a special memory for you, send it to Jan at SiteSeer2K@aol.com. She might include it in a future column.
