It's never too early...

[misanthrope]

...for those of us with the big target on our backs. The same fellow who warned Shrub is warning us.

And telling us to take measures now.

[Dogmudgeon]

1. This was also discussed *before* Katrina

There has been considerable discussion of studies that hurricanes and other tropical cyclonic storms (i.e., hurricanes in different oceans with different names, like "typhoons" or "cyclones") have been increasing in strength and destructiveness, due to natural cycles being reinforced -- strongly -- by global warming.

I wonder just how many people are in areas that strong cat-5 hurricanes could reach. With warmer Atlantic Seaboard water, it's possible that Atlantic City or Boston or even NYC could be damaged or devastated. But the real danger on the East Coast is to all those expensive, poorly-built homes on the Outer Banks of NC. They've suffered severe damage from hurricanes several times in the last 20 years or so, but a quickly-developing cat-5 that takes NOAA by surprise could up the ante to a level no one expects.

I guess we'll see what happens when this year's 'cane season starts on June 1st. Just two-and-a-half months away. And to think, we've had such a mild winter.

--p!

[misanthrope]

2. The water temperature in the Gulf of Mexico...

...was eight degrees above normal during January 2006.