As I type this it is 5:30CST in Mobile, AL as we await Hurricane Ida [article link] to make landfall sometime early Tuesday morning. There has not been the frantic lines at gas stations as in most hurricanes. There was slightly more activity at Wal-Mart, Home Depot and Lowes this morning. But, nothing compared what it could be if this hurricane had formed two months ago. Water temperature has cooled in the Gulf of Mexico. For that reason alone, most gulf coast residents are not fearful of this storm. Rain is quite heavy as I type this. We expect 6-8 inches of rain and wind gusts of 50-55MPH.

During summer hurricanes, restaurants, supermarkets and even gas stations close early when a hurricane is this imminent. We expect local flooding of streets and surf erosion at the beaches. In short, this storm is nothing for us to be concerned about. But, I am thankful, as I'm sure most on the gulf are, that this storm did not strike two months ago. We would be talking about a possible Cat 4 or even Cat 5 hurricane. That warm gulf water is like adding gas to a fire. It just blows up storms. However, as I said yesterday, you must respect any tropical storm or hurricane regardless of strength. There were about 3 dozen people killed by this storm in El Salvador. All tropical storms, regardless of magnitude, should be regarded as dangerous and people should prepare accordingly.