'urricanes 'ardly ever 'appen (except these past few summers)

I found a neat little hurricane tracker online. It not only has tracking animations for all of 2005 and 2004, but "historical" storms as well (Ivan, Andrew, Hugo, Galveston, etc.). A few days ago they added a forecast tracker, which is handy.

Looks like right now Katrina has weakened to a tropical storm, which will probably become a tropical depression before it reaches Ohio late Tuesday/early Wednesday.

Speaking of historical storms, who here remembers the "1993 North American Storm Complex," otherwise known as the "Great Blizzard of '93" or "Storm of the Century"? This was a storm they say only happens every 500 years, and there are some NOAA satellite images here, here, here, here, here, here, and here.

I remember it as the time Atlanta got more snow than Cleveland in the middle of March. My brother also happened to be in Atlanta at the time, playing baseball with Ashland University during Spring Break. My dad flew down to watch (and visit his cousin), and thanks to him we have video footage of the baseball team helping shovel snow and uncover people's cars at the motel. The South was pretty hard hit and wasn't readily equipped to handle such weather, but here in Elyria I don't think we got even one day off school, as the storm was on its way out by Monday. My dad's flight home was canceled and he had to use a personal day off work, instead hanging out at his cousin's house with no electricity. If I recall correctly, by week's end the team did play some baseball, but obviously my dad missed it.


In other news, today was the first day of my vacation-at-home. I didn't get a lot accomplished, partially thanks to the cold that developed Sunday evening, but I did do some car research I wanted to get done before going to buy my new car this week (more details to follow once I actually have it). I get a cold this week EVERY YEAR, as far back as I can remember right on through college, and I remember because it was always the first week of school. I was always pissed that my first impression to new teachers, students, whoevers would be {cough hack sniffle sneeze}. And it happens every year, almost without exception, around this time. I don't know why. I guess I should just start marking it on my calendar so I can plan on buying stock in Kleenex the week before.