Just as we breathe a sigh of relief about Tropical Storm Fay, Hurricane Gustav pops onto the scene almost instantly.
A tropical depression 260 miles south of Port Au Prince quickly formed into Hurricane Gustav, a Category 1 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson scale, which is now sweeping across Haiti. The National Hurricane Center predicts Gustav to strengthen again over open water on its way from Haiti toward southeastern Cuba.
The five day warning cone of Hurricane Gustav continues to show Florida in the clear, but Gulf Coast states like Texas and Louisiana are not. But before Floridians get giddy with relief, consider what Jeff Masters of Weather Underground says: "The final landfall location of Gustav depends on the strength and speed of a trough of low pressure forecast to move across the Midwest U.S. late this week. At present, there is no way to guess which location in the Gulf of Mexico is the most likely.''
So once again, I am going through my hurricane preparation checklist and mentally taking note of supplies needed and making a plan, as should all Gulf Coast residents. Especially since three more tropical disturbances are being tracked by the National Hurricane Center, two of which have good probability of forming into a tropical depression.
Regardless of where Hurricane Gustav makes landfall, we may have three storms to contend with in the near future, so gather the supplies now for a hurricane boat preparation kit, and make a hurricane boat preparation plan.
Hurricane Boat Preparation - If you haven't formulated a plan already, read this for the basics of hurricane boat prep plan.
Hurricane Boat Prep for Trailered Boats
Hurricane Boat Prep for Moored Boats
Hurricane Boat Prep for Anchored Boats
Hurricane Preparation Kit - Items you will need to prepare your boat for the storm.