Central Floridians Relieved as Gustav, Hanna and Ike Miss

Orlando, Florida - As Central Florida dried out from the flooding rains of Tropical Storm Fay, residents anxiously watched brewing weather systems in the tropics. As forecasters warned of an impending series of storms, some began to wonder if the historic 2004 hurricane season was about to repeat itself.

After Fay dumped as much as 30 inches of rain in some locales, the last thing anyone wanted to see was more rain. Hurricane Gustav, though, was sailing along the warm waters of the Caribbean, intent on dumping his rains and winds directly on the area. With a little encouragement from a high pressure system centered over Central Florida, Gustav ultimately changed his plans and, instead, visited the exceptionally well-prepared city of New Orleans.

Just behind Gustav was another worry, though, and this one seemed intent on further drenching costal and inland Florida. Forecast to come ashore as a category one hurricane, Hanna meandered through the Caribbean islands for days before finally heading North. As she closed in, an ominous email appeared in the inboxes of students at Winter Park's Rollins College; with a subject line of simply, "Weather Update," the email let students know Hanna was closing in.

"The Rollins Emergency Operations Team (EOPT), composed of senior administrators, is carefully monitoring Tropical Storm Hanna," the email began. It went on to say that Hanna was expected "to skirt the FL coast, giving the Orlando area some wind and rain." In the absence of a direct hit, though, classes and events were scheduled to proceed as planned. Fortunately, Hanna began to drift away from the Florida peninsula earlier than expected. This turn once again left the area completely unscathed.

As the passing Hanna left a beautiful late summer weekend for Floridians to enjoy the beach, parks and myriad outdoor activities, the most powerful threat yet loomed just offshore. Pushing 145 mph winds and an impressive eye, Hurricane Ike had already reached category four strength. The projected track of Ike brought him ashore along Florida's southeastern coast and, later, directly over the greater Orlando area. As anyone who experienced Hurricane Charley in 2004 would attest, this path would not bode well for the region.

Sales of bottled water and canned goods picked up somewhat at local stores, and some area residents expressed concern about the power of the approaching storm. As the weekend progressed, though, the forecast track of Ike shifted further and further southward, finally trekking Ike over the island of Cuba and out into the Gulf of Mexico. Although Ike's final landfall was yet to occur at press time, Central Florida residents and felt like they had successfully dodged a trio of bullets.

September is considered by meteorologists to be the most active month for hurricanes, and September 2008 has certainly lived up to this expectation. Even though most storms have left the area alone this year (or diverted at the last minute), state emergency management officials still encourage residents and students to maintain awareness of tropical conditions and be prepared for any potentially devastating storms. It never hurts to have an extra supply of water and non-perishable food on hand for a storm or other emergency, and local stores frequently have sales on these products.

Hurricanes Gustav, Hanna and Ike were, respectively, the seventh, eighth and ninth named storms of the 2008 hurricane season. The Atlantic hurricane season began June 1^st and ends November 30^th.