The 8th Tropical Depression of the 1999 Hurricane Season formed 900 nm(1035 mi) east of the island of Martinique on 07SEPT @ 1400 EDT(2 pm/18z). Within 12 hrs, Tropical Storm Floyd was born. Over the next few days Floyd grew in strength and generally moved on a WNW to NW course paralleling the Northern Leeward Islands keeping him far away to the North.
By Sunday 12SEPT, Floyd was nearing Major Hurricane Status as a Category 3 and turned onto a more western course. On the morning of 13SEPT, Hurricane Floyd was a huge storm, nearly twice the size of Hurricane Andrew. He was approaching the Central Bahamas with winds 130 kt(150 mph). By 0500(5 am/09z) Floyd's winds where increased to 135 kt(155 mph) with a central pressure of 921 mb(27.20"/hg) located about 250 nm(288 mi) E of San Salvador Island in the Central Bahamas. By the 1100(11 am/15z) Advisory, the Dicussion read: "135 knots should be strong enough to get everyone's attention." That basically meant the near Category 5 Super Hurricane would do some damage to the US soon enough.
That statement would not be taken lightly as during the afternoon of that same day(9-13) prompted Hurricane Warnings for the whole East Florida Coast from Miami to Fernandina Beach. The following afternoon on 14SEPT evacuations where ordered for the Warning area as it was believed even if Floyd didnt make landfall, hurricane force winds would be faced onshore. At 0000 (12 am/04z) the barometer was @ 29.96"/hg(1014.6 mb). By 1200 (noon,16z) the barometer had fallen to 29.87"/hg(1011.5 mb), a fall of -0.09"/hg(-3 mb). At 0000 on 15SEPT (12 am/04z) the barometer went down to 29.72"/hg(1006.4 mb), a 12 hr fall of -0.15"/hg(-5 mb) or a total fall (24 hrs) of -0.24"/hg(-8 mb).
On 15SEPT, all eyes here watched to see what Floyd was going to do. Through out the previous day, he passed NW through the NW Bahamas. Early on the 15th, Floyd passed by the Bahamas and the center was 120 nm (140 mi) east of Melbourne @ 0200(2 am/06z). During this passage NOAA bouy 41009, 20 nm(23 mi) off Cape Canaveral reported gusts to 66 kt(76 mph) between 0200-0500(2 am-5 am/06z-09z) 41009 Wind Gust Graph. NOAA bouy 41010 (~ 115 nm E of Cape Canaveral) located in the eye wall of Floyd reported sustained winds 70 kt(80 mph)with gusts to 85 kt (96 mph), 938.8 mb and 54 ft Seas around 0500(05 am/09z). By 1400(2 pm/18z), the center was 140 nm (160 mi) E of Jacksonville and moving away. The hurricane force winds stayed about 100 mi off shore but tropical force winds where felt on the beaches. This would be the closest point to me as Floyd was going NNE towards the Carolinas. By 0100(1 am/05z), 0.28" fell. No more rain would be recorded for the rest of the day. At 0200(02 am/06z) my barometer was @ 29.66"/hg(1004.4 mb), -0.06"/hg(-2 mb) fall in 2 hrs. @ 0500(5 am/09z) the barometer was reading 29.57"/hg(1001.4 mb), a -0.09"/hg(3 mb) drop in 3 hrs. By 1100(11 am/15z) the barometer read 29.49"/hg(998.7 mb) or -0.08"/hg(-2.7 mb) drop in 6 hrs. The pressure slighty rose and fell over the next few hours. It bottomed out @ 29.46"/hg(997.7 mb) @ 1540(3:40 pm/1940z). After that, the pressure rose steady to 29.69"/hg(1005.4 mb) @ 0000/16SEPT(12 am/04z) or a change of -0.03"/hg(-1 mb) from 24 hrs ago. The barometric pressure fell -0.26"/hg(-8.8 mb) before coming back up.
9/14/99 Summary |
9/15/99 Summary |
9/15/99 Coded Observations(METAR) | |
|DATE/TIME |CITY |ST|TMP|DEW|HMD|HIX| WIND |PRSS| SKY | WEATHER | COMMENTS---> |(UTC) | | |(F)|(F)|(%)|/WC| (mph) |(mb)| | | Sep 13/00:00 Macclenny FL 75 72 88 79 NE 4 1017 Sep 13/06:00 Macclenny FL 73 70 90 75 NNW4 1016 Sep 13/12:00 Macclenny FL 69 66 92 79 CALM 1016 Sep 13/18:00 Macclenny FL 92 72 52 99 NNE8 1015 Sep 14/00:00 Macclenny FL 78 63 61 78 NE 5 1014 Sep 14/03:00 Macclenny FL 72 63 73 72 CALM 1014 Sep 14/06:00 Macclenny FL 70 64 80 71 CALM 1013 Sep 14/09:00 Macclenny FL 71 65 82 71 NNE3 1011 Sep 14/12:00 Macclenny FL 71 66 85 71 NE 6 1011 Sep 14/15:00 Macclenny FL 86 76 72 94 NNE4 1011 Sep 14/18:00 Macclenny FL 89 75 64 98 NNE7 1009 Sep 14/21:00 Macclenny FL 81 74 86 78 NE 7 1007 R+F Sep 15/00:00 Macclenny FL 80 72 79 84 NE 9 1007 Sep 15/03:00 Macclenny FL 79 72 80 82 N 12 1006 Sep 15/05:00 Macclenny FL 74 70 85 75 NE 4 1005 R+F Sep 15/06:00 Macclenny FL 74 70 88 76 N 6 1004 Sep 15/09:00 Macclenny FL 75 72 89 79 N 6 1001 Sep 15/12:00 Macclenny FL 75 71 88 78 NE 9 1000 Sep 15/15:00 Macclenny FL 76 69 80 77 N 9 998 Sep 15/18:00 Macclenny FL 78 68 72 81 WNW8 998 Sep 15/19:45 Macclenny FL 77 68 80 80 NW12 997 Sep 15/21:00 Macclenny FL 80 68 67 82 NNE5 999 Sep 16/00:00 Macclenny FL 75 66 75 75 NE 3 1002 Sep 16/03:00 Macclenny FL 72 68 85 74 CALM 1005
