Tropical Storm Colin
By Jeff Moffitt
@moffittjc (128835)
Gainesville, Florida
June 6, 2016 5:47am CST
Florida has been in a hurricane "drought" for more than a decade, an unprecedented amount of time without getting hit by a hurricane or tropical storm. That all ends today, with the forecast track of Tropical Storm Colin bringing the minimal tropical disturbance over the northern part of the state.
The bad news is that where I live is dead in the center of the forecast track. The good news is that this will mostly be a rain event, being more of an annoyance than an actual danger. Although with heavy rains, gusty winds, thunder and lightning, and a small chances of tornadoes, the storm is not without its dangers.
The storm is approaching the west coast of Florida now, and will likely be a 2-day rain event. The fun part for me is that I have a 3-hour drive to a planning retreat today, so given the drive to and from, I'll be on the road for about 6 hours during this storm. With the heavy rains and slick roads, I plan on taking my time getting to and from my meeting.
Are any of you going to be impacted by this tropical weather?
12 people like this
14 responses
@Asylum (47893)
• Manchester, England
6 Jun 16
@ElizabethWallace To be fair, the females are usually more dangerous.
2 people like this
@moffittjc (128835)
• Gainesville, Florida
6 Jun 16
@Asylum Only the ones named Katrina! At least that's what the good people of New Orleans think!
1 person likes this
@ElizabethWallace (12069)
• United States
6 Jun 16
No longer. A few years ago they started using male names as well as female ones. Only fair. Males cause most of the problems in the world. 
2 people like this
@ElizabethWallace (12069)
• United States
6 Jun 16
See this is what those of us on the left coast do not understand about you guys on the right coast. Why do you put yourselves in harms' way? When we have big weather events, we stay home. When danger approaches, like with a fire or threat of flooding, we pack up quickly and leave.
You guys seem to take risks that we do not. Stay safe!!!
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (128835)
• Gainesville, Florida
6 Jun 16
What do you do when earthquakes strike? Us on the right coast can never figure out why all of you on the left coast stick around to deal with fires and earthquakes every year! So I guess that makes us even! By the way, when hurricanes come, all of us on the right coast throw hurricane parties and invite friends! LOL
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (128835)
• Gainesville, Florida
8 Jun 16
@ElizabethWallace Although tropical storms and hurricanes happen every year, they don't always strike the same place. It's been 12 years since the last tropical system hit my area. But you are right...when they do hit they often cause a lot of damage!
1 person likes this
@ElizabethWallace (12069)
• United States
7 Jun 16
@moffittjc Minor earthquakes happen all the time, and we don't even notice them. Big ones (ones that cause damage) have only happened about five times in my life (68 years). You have that many big storms each season, and they all cause damage. Media makes you all think earthquakes are horrid, but they are not (okay, someday one will be really big, with lots of damage, but they have been saying that for eons).
As for the fires, they are in the hills and wild areas, mostly. Few people live there. Those who do, knew the risks before they bought there. If they take proper measure, they do not have much risk. If they don't, they get what they get.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (128835)
• Gainesville, Florida
8 Jun 16
On a good day their are always tons of accidents on our highways, but I got really lucky driving in the storm, as I didn't encounter a single accident in the 6 hours of total driving that I did. Which was good, it meant people were being careful and paying attention out there on the roadways. Too bad they don't do that under normal conditions!
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (128835)
• Gainesville, Florida
9 Jun 16
@just4him Nah...everybody is too busy talking or texting on their phones to pay attention to the road! Self-driving cars just can't get here fast enough! lol
1 person likes this
@just4him (323168)
• Green Bay, Wisconsin
8 Jun 16
@moffittjc It would be nice if they would.
1 person likes this
@JESSY3236 (22245)
• United States
6 Jun 16
I don't know if we will, but I feel like we are in the bible with all the rain we have been having. I hardly can work at night because of the storms. We had one sunny day which was Friday which I was suprised by.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (128835)
• Gainesville, Florida
6 Jun 16
Did you get all the rain from Tropical Storm Bonnie?
1 person likes this
@JESSY3236 (22245)
• United States
7 Jun 16
@moffittjc I think so. Last night it rained in spurts and I think sideways. Today it's sunny!!
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (128835)
• Gainesville, Florida
8 Jun 16
@JESSY3236 The weirdest thing about us getting hit by tropical system is not just the damage it causes during the storm, but the damage that happens afterward. We had very few trees go down when this storm hit, but because of how much rain we got, there is a lot of minor flooding and standing water. All that water will saturate the ground, weakening the root system of the trees. Over the next week, we'll have tons of trees falling over because the ground is too saturated to support them. That's when all the fun starts, clearing trees that fall on houses and across roads a week after the storm went through!
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (128835)
• Gainesville, Florida
8 Jun 16
Is all that rain welcome and needed in Australia? We definitely need all this rain here in Florida, but the bad part is that we get it all at once instead of gradually. In about a week we are going to have major flooding problems as our rivers crest and overflow their banks. That's when the real damage from the storm starts.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (128835)
• Gainesville, Florida
9 Jun 16
@JudyEv So you are seeing the ravaging effects of climate change too? No matter who I talk to throughout the world, everyone is always commenting that the weather these days is so much different than in the past. And I imagine that as climate change/global warming continues to accelerate, we're only going to experience much worse weather.
@JudyEv (382104)
• Rockingham, Australia
8 Jun 16
@moffittjc While rain is usually welcome, it is only in latter years that we seem to experience such widespread and destructive flooding. It is like nothing that has been seen in those areas for decades.
1 person likes this
@sunrisefan (28524)
• Philippines
6 Jun 16
Take all precautions and be safe, friend.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (128835)
• Gainesville, Florida
6 Jun 16
I'm back from my trip and all safe and sound inside my home!
1 person likes this
@sunrisefan (28524)
• Philippines
7 Jun 16
@moffittjc Good to know you're safe, my friend!
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (128835)
• Gainesville, Florida
7 Jun 16
@sunrisefan We have reports of lots of flooding this morning, but other than that, the skies are blue and the sun is shining this morning! Fortunately, the storm blew through quickly.
1 person likes this
@Marcyaz (35316)
• United States
6 Jun 16
Nope I won't be impacted by this storm. You be very careful driving in that storm maybe you should cancel and make it another day. Those heavy winds can be dangerous, heavy rain with the thunder and lightning. You want to be especially careful since there is a small chance of tornadoes.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (128835)
• Gainesville, Florida
6 Jun 16
I got extremely lucky today. I was able to make the 3-hour drive this morning without hitting any rain whatsoever. And on the way home this afternoon, I made it about 2 1/2 hours before I finally got caught in the rain. But I took my time during the last 30 minutes of the drive home to ensure that I made it safely.
@annierose (21977)
• United States
15 Jun 16
Take good care please. It is not easy to drive when the gusty winds and heavy rains are competing with one another. I hope that you will arrive safely on your destination. We have a good weather here in the Philippines but since this is already the month of June, we will also be approaching the rainy and stormy seasons soon.
1 person likes this
@arthurchappell (44941)
• Preston, England
6 Jun 16
stay safe and dry - we don't get such weather extremes in the UK fortunately
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (128835)
• Gainesville, Florida
6 Jun 16
It's been a dozen years since we've last had a tropical system hit us in north Florida. We've been extremely lucky, as it's very unusual for Florida to go that long without getting hit by a hurricane. But this is a weak tropical system, so it should just mainly be a rain-maker for us over the next two days. Flooding is the big concern.
@Lolaze (5092)
• St. Louis, Missouri
9 Jun 16
I'm not buy my fiance and his boss are getting hit by it.
@moffittjc (128835)
• Gainesville, Florida
6 Jun 16
I got lucky with all the driving today and barely hit any rain. I guess I timed my drives just right to be in between the heavy bands of rain!
@moffittjc (128835)
• Gainesville, Florida
14 Jun 16
Did you get any bad beach erosion from the tropical storm?
@VivaLaDani13 (60812)
• Perth, Australia
4 Aug 16
@moffittjc Perth never gets any sort of excitement like that. I remember a few years ago, we had a big warning of a bad storm and a hurricane but nothing happened. A lot of people, including myself, were extremely disappointed lol
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (128835)
• Gainesville, Florida
4 Aug 16
I'm actually a big fan of tropical storms and hurricanes, and like the excitement that is generated any time a storm approaches. I'm on the Emergency Management team for our city, so these types of weather events get my blood pumping! Well...I guess as long as they are not catastrophic storms...I'm not one of those sadistic persons who wants to see mass destruction and casualties, but other than that, I like when these storms hit!
1 person likes this
@lovebeingmummy2 (806)
• Aberdeen, Scotland
6 Jun 16
Hope your journey goes well, take care
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (128835)
• Gainesville, Florida
6 Jun 16
Thanks, I made it there and back safely and in one piece! Surprisingly, I was able to dodge most of the rain! But thank goodness I am home now, because the rain is horrendous outside right now!
