Tammy and the Doctor

HEAVY RAIN WITH POTENTIAL FOR FLOODING THIS WEEKEND;
FLOOD WATCH IN EFFECT FROM FRIDAY MORNING THROUGH SATURDAY AFTERNOON

The National Weather Service has issued a Special Weather Statement (scroll down to 1103 am) for potential heavy rain and flooding this weekend and a Flood Watch from Friday morning through Saturday afternoon.

Parched lawns and gardens throughout the Washington DC metro area are gazing longingly southward this afternoon in hopes of receiving some rain from the remnants of former Tropical Storm Tammy. By mid afternoon, some very widely scattered showers had appeared, mainly to the west, where Leesburg was reporting heavy rain at 2pm. This was short-lived, however, as only 0.03" fell. The most intense activity was on the Eastern Shore, from the Bay Bridge southeastward to the southwestern corner of Delaware. By 3:00, many locations were reporting at least partly sunny skies and temperatures which were pushing close to or above 80; the official reading was 81 at 4pm. Dewpoints were at the "tropical" level on the muggometer, ranging from a few high 60s to the low 70s. As an upper-level trough approaches from the Midwest, the flow over our region will change from light and variable this morning to moderate (near 50 knots) from the south and southwest, helping to bring some of the much-needed tropical moisture left over from Tammy.

Tonight and Tomorrow

Tonight, the chance of rain will increase to 50% by morning as low temperatures reach only down to about 68. Rain is likely tomorrow (near 100%) with highs around 73.

Tropical Beat: Tammy

The last tropical advisory on the remnants of Tammy was issued at 11am this morning with the center of circulation over extreme southeastern Alabama. This was moving west at about 12 mph. It could even move southwest and out over the Gulf of Mexico, but regeneration is not likely. Meanwhile, the moisture originally associated with the storm is moving to the north and northeast, bringing heavy rains as far north as central North Carolina.

Further south, a weak low pressure area over western Cuba was poorly organized and unlikely to develop further, but it will bring more rain to Florida as it moves northward.

In the central Atlantic, almost 1200 miles east of the Windward Islands, a large tropical wave is being watched for potential development over the next couple of days.

Tropical Beat: The Doctor

"Divine Wind", a book about "The History And Science Of Hurricanes", was delayed from its original publication date but is now available. The author is Dr. Kerry Emanuel, meteorology professor at MIT, and the book has been getting rave reviews; it is already out of stock at the publisher. Dr. Steve Lyons, the Weather Channel hurricane expert, said:

"Until I read Divine Wind I had never found a book unique enough to contain the science and the history of hurricanes accented with the prose, songs and art about them. It provides fascinating accounts of notorious hurricanes that have changed history. With sound science it educates readers about how hurricanes form, how strong they can get, how they are tracked and what types of devastation they can cause. Both meteorologist and non-meteorologist will be captivated with it. I couldn't put the book down, anxious to absorb the next fascinating piece of hurricane history. Divine Wind is a must read for everyone interested in how hurricanes work, how they have molded coastal city history and how they have affected wars.

Here are some other reviews:

• Seattle Times: "Artfully impressive 'Divine Wind' is in a category of its own"
  
• London Times: "From Nineveh to New Orleans"
  
• Houston Chronicle: "Dissecting the storm"
  
• Flint Journal: "Beautiful book tells about terrible storms"
  
• Birmingham News: "'Divine Wind' amazing read after Katrina"

The book's website has links to downloadable images, supplementary material, a hurricane model computer program (Fortran 77), and other hurricane resources.