We’ve already heard a transformer blow just a bit ago while walking around the block. No surprise as the wind was enough to part your hair. Usually we just go around once, but tonight it was three times and each was memorable in its own right.
I think all of us have been curious what it’d be like to look up through the eye of a hurricane. Tonite I aim to find out. Thing is, this eye is huge. Perhaps many of us will have that specific to relate back tomorrow.
Good luck, everyone.
As of right now, I just hope y’all have electricity tomorrow. Please be careful if you do go outside!
Oh, and Ringo, don’t lose your pants man. 
That’s one pretty picture, but at my location it was more an overall purplish color.
Winds gusting almost to tropical storm force, still no rain. Radar shows the buzzsaw getting pretty close now, however.
I would suggest that readers try not to worry too much about posters who drop off the grid tonight or tomorrow. It’s entirely likely that power will be off in many locations for weeks over much of the area, thus problematic as to when one might get back on the board.
Good luck y’all, and everyone else in the path of the storm.
Woah woah woah… how did I miss that before? If you factor in banded clouds and just a whole lot more trees, we’re essentially carved out of a mature forest, yes, our pinks and blues were remarkably like that. So, that’s common? Amazing. I stood and talked with some neighbors discussing just how beautiful, just how spectacular, this particular sunset was. Hey, nice catch, Ninety!
El_K, I must have mentioned the sight of your freeway link with a dozen folks tonite as we discussed power failure evacuations for later. In all the years I’ve lived here never, during any hour or scenario, have I ever seen that. That simply, you know, just doesn’t happen here.
Thanks, that was in Austin, tonight. From weatherunderground.com .
Tropical Update September 12, 10:36 PM EDT
Name: Hurricane Ike
Location: About 55 miles, 85 km, south-southeast of galveston Texas and about 95 miles, 150 km, South-Southwest of Port Arthur Texas.
Lat/Long: 28.6N, 94.4W
Max Winds: 110 mph
Category: 2
Heading: Northwest
Speed: 12 mph
Pressure: 28.11 inches
The winds are gusting about 30-40 mph here at the house. We’re going to bed. I’ll post again in the morning if we have power.
Good luck, everybody! I hope everyone stays safe and dry. Be careful tomorrow of downed power lines, and I hope your homes come through safely. Ike is really, really nasty, so I hope everyone has done everything you’re supposed to to shelter in place, to use the popular phrase.
Amazingly, I just saw on the Weather Channel that the Galveston Causeway is still safe. So I guess if someone had a vehicle big enough to not get blown off, you could get over the causeway if you really wanted to.
I just hope there’s not a lot of dead people in Galveston tomorrow, though. I’ve heard estimates of anywhere from 40-60% of the population there did not evacuate, but computer models show that with a 20 foot storm surge, as is predicted, virtually the entire island will be underwater. I really don’t understand people who are willing to risk their lives by staying under these circumstances.
I think that the causeways and the approaches were made for this. I-45 is built up several feet above grade until it’s inland of the Texas City breakwaters and past the Highway 6 interchange.
ETA: rocking chair, They built the seawall and raised the grade of the city of Galveston so that the island would withstand another 1900 storm. Ike will have a surge higher than that. Fortunately, it looks like the high part will hit around High Island, not in a heavily populated area.
It’s a little scary to just go out on the balcony right now, and the storm’s center is still 100 miles away. Rather than wait for the lights to go out, I think I’ll just turn 'em out and see what things are like whenever the storm wakes me up.
If you’re anywhere near me, stay put!
ETA - It’s become quite noisy outside.
The Houston Chronicle’s “Science Guy” hosted a chat today for people to ask questions about the hurricane. Almost all of them were the same thing: “I’m in (insert city), do I need to evacuate?!?” Here’s my favorite:
It’s funny cause it’s true. :smack:
Wow, power’s still on. Yay Entergy.
Rain + wind well above TS threshold speed at the moment. Have heard a few cracks and thumps, but nothing large seems to have fallen near me as yet, although back deck is covered end to end with various tree bits. Radar shows eyewall directly over city and about 15 miles south of my position. Will post again in a couple hours if I can.
Some Texans are responding to the crisis in the only sane and rational way…by dressing up in animal costumes and getting onto live broadcasts.
Eye’s over the northern end of Galveston Bay and now looks like it will pass just east of my position, on 'tother side of I-45.
Wind’s pretty fierce now, and the lights are flickering. I’m gonna shut down until daylight.
Nice reporting, El Kabong!
All you dopers down there, good luck!
I’m really impressed by some of the coverage. The Houston Chronicle and some entity called ABC13 are doing some seriously good public service.
i hope everyone stays safe.
i’ve been watching cnn and weather channel on and off all night. it looks like ike got a bit stronger as he came on land.
poor galveston is getting hammered. they mentioned on cnn that the hotel the pd,fd, emergency services, and media stationed in has pulled everyone off of the higher floors and into safer spots inside the hotel.
the back side of the storm seems worse than the front.
cornflakes, that sea wall and raising the island was the most amazing engineering feat. and thank goodness they built it strong 108-106 years ago, and maintained and lengthen the wall in the century plus. galveston without that wall is unthinkable.
Got a buddy in College Station, about 90 minutes northwest of north Houston. Ike’s supposed to be a Cat1 when it hits there. A category 1 hurricane when it hits central Texas. That’s crazy.
Been keeping in touch with him. Texting is generally a good idea in storms since it puts much less pressure on the phone system than phoning. Around 2AM Central he sed “I’m about to get balls deep in this hoe”
Said the weather was clear and eerie out there. About half an hour later
“well, I’m going to go pass out on the couch until the lord comes to take me into his arms”
It’s funny if you know him. But haven’t heard back yet. He does like to sleep in late a lot tho.
Not sure 0930 or 0830 got a message from someone. Sed eye passed over 4-6AM, very still and calm. Then came the backside. At the time of the message it was “still blowing too hard to go out.”
Relative told me ten minutes ago the storm was still raging. Yikes.
West Houston checking in - we’re doing ok. One huge limb down in our back yard (the neighbor’s tree.) Power was only off 4-5 hours.