Chris Mooney is a visiting associate in the 
[Tropical Storm Gustav coming off Haiti and reorganizing.]
It has been almost three full years since a major hurricane hit the United States. The last one was 2005's Wilma.
We aren't really used to this any more. 2004 and 2005 are slipping deeper and deeper into our memories...but they shouldn't.
Now, unfortunately, the current Tropical Storm Gustav may remind us of what it's like. The storm has got a whole lot of hot water ahead of it, and a track that looks pretty certain to bring it straight into the Gulf of Mexico. After that, who knows precisely where landfall will occur, but as Jeff Masters puts it: "Gustav will likely be a major Category 3 or 4 hurricane in the Gulf of Mexico, and make landfall in the U.S. as a major hurricane."
Get ready.
Environment
Physical Science
Comments
The projected track doesn't look good. It actually looks quite troubling. If anyone is in NOLA, please take the utmost caution. We don't want a repeat of Katrina or Rita.
http://my.sfwmd.gov/sfwmd/common/images/weather/plots/storm_07.gif
http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/refresh/graphics_at2+shtml/203214.shtml?5day#contents
http://www.drudgereport.com/gt.jpg
Posted by: Stephen Berg | August 27, 2008 4:40 PM
And just as a reminder, a slow moving tropical storm like Fay can do a lot of damage without becoming a hurricane. The news reports show Gustav moving slowly across Haiti.
Posted by: Wes Rolley | August 27, 2008 5:49 PM
Ack.
I don't want to open class with an image of a hurricane threatening New Orleans again.
Posted by: Kim | August 28, 2008 12:01 AM
Is this the I or II.... could be good to know...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gustavus_Adolphus_of_Sweden
Posted by: Magnus W | August 28, 2008 8:15 AM