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Storm warning canceled
Fay makes landfall at Cape Romano
By SUZETTE PORTER
Article published on Tuesday, Aug. 19, 2008 |
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![[Image]](/content_images/081908_fpg-01.gif) |
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| The three-day forecast track from the National Hurricane Center at 5 a.m. Aug. 19, shows Tropical Storm Fay on the Florida coastline at Cape Romano. |
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![[Image]](/content_images/081908_fpg-01a.gif) |
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| Computer models continue to show disagreement for Tropical Storm Fay’s track. |
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![[Image]](/content_images/081908_fpg-01b.gif) |
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| Miami radar from the National Weather Service at 5 a.m. Aug. 19, shows Tropical Storm Fay on the Florida coastline. |
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PINELLAS COUNTY - Tropical Storm Fay made landfall at Cape Romano about on Tuesday, Aug. 19, and the National Hurricane Center canceled the tropical storm warning for Pinellas County.
At 5 a.m. the center of the storm was located on the coastline at Cape Romano about 55 miles south of Fort Myers.
The storm was moving toward the north-northeast at about 9 mph and Fay was expected to continue to move in the same general direction throughout the day taking center of the storm across the Florida peninsula. A decrease in forward speed and a turn to the north is expected on Wednesday.
Maximum sustained winds were near 60 mph with higher gusts and slow weakening was expected as Fay moves inland.
Tropical storm force winds extended outward up to 125 miles from the center.
According to the National Weather Service in Ruskin, no storm surge is likely in Pinellas County due to a weakened storm hitting farther south than originally forecast.
Residents can expect windy and rainy weather with some thunderstorms over the next few days.
Season forecast update
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced Aug. 7 an increased possibility of an above-normal hurricane season.
Philip J. Klotzbach and William M. Gray, professors at the Department of Atmospheric Science at Colorado State University, released undated predictions for 2008 on Aug. 5, which also forecast increased activity in the Atlantic basin for the remainder of the season.
NOAA now predicts as many as 14 to 18 named storms could form in 2008, of which seven to 10 are expected to become hurricanes, with three to six becoming major hurricanes.
Gray and Klotzbach’s latest estimates call for 17 named storms, nine hurricanes and five intense (major) hurricanes.
A major hurricane is a Category 3 or above.
Six named storms have formed so far this season. Tropical Storm Arthur impacted the Yucatan Peninsula in late May and early June. Bertha was a major hurricane and the longest-lived July storm on record, lasting from July 3-20. Tropical Storm Cristobal hugged the North Carolina coastline but did not come ashore.
Dolly made landfall as a Category 2 hurricane at South Padre Island, Texas on July 25. And on August 5, Tropical Storm Edouard struck the upper Texas coast.
Fay is the sixth named storm of the season.
The Atlantic hurricane season, June 1-Nov. 30, includes activity over the Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico. The peak months of the season are August through October.
For hurricane preparedness information, visit TBNweekly.com’s Hurricane Guide.
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Article published on Tuesday, Aug. 19, 2008
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