Gustav!

Is Gus waging war against Haiti again??

Yes, a war of weather.

I seem to recall a Gustav who visited New Orleans just before Katrina. Ratzenhofer, I believe it was. Then there was that one in Florida the same year. I dun'no, but I kind of hope he stays away from NM.

It's possible that as a youth he was captured and nearly sacrificed in a voodoo ritual. Didja ever think of THAT?

Jeez - that Gus is a worry!

This storm is going to be a stinker for somebody. The forecast track is no help at all this morning.

I use the NHC 5-day cone map. I would hope one of yall smart people could import it here periodically. Indeed, this is not looking good, especially as it appears that it may be over warm, open water for a few days.

Thanks, Edgar. Houston is near the Texas coast at the top of the longitudinal line labeled 95. New Orleans is atop the line labeled 90.

NOT NEW ORLEANS AGAIN!!!
I hope the people who dropped the ball last time are PAYING ATTENTION

It is way too early to start worrying about N.O. any more than anywhere in the Gulf. If you want to make God laugh; tell him when, where, or how strong a hurricane will be next week...

That doesn't mean that everyone on the Gulf coast shouldn't have already packed plenty of water, batteries, assessed their shutters etc. They should also have in place an exit strategy if the storm comes their way. I would hope the incompetents that run N.O. at the very least have a bus plan to get the people out who don't have cars. N.O. is uniquely vulnerable as the city is actually below sea level... and surrounded by water.

(People really shouldn't live there. It’s kinda like pitching camp at the base of an active volcano.)

edgar, I think we're going to get wet.

Re: too early...I guess we see things differently. I think preparations should be started--at least public announcements and the contingency plans settled. The worst thing that will happen is people in a really dangerous place will get practice--especially the Gov, mayor, police...the crew that will have to manage any crisi s that may arrive. Of course, agree with your second paragraph completely. And, sad as it is....because I love N.O. ....it is no place to live. It's a disaster waiting to happen.

The N.O. vicinity is the current bulls eye.

Things will change, but it does not look good for that area right now.

I'm hoping it will miss us entirely. But, I bought some plywood, just in case.

Note that Edgar updated the NHC map in his post further up the page. The NHC cautions against putting too much reliance on maps that extend out for 5 or 6 days. Having said that, it is looking a bit bleaker for NO.
One of my major suppliers is there. They called this morning to say they were going to try and ship as much as possible today and tomorrow and perhaps Friday morning. Then they were going to send as many staff people home to deal with their own issues while a small crew worked to secure the offices and warehouses.
They experienced little physical damage in Katrina, but afterwards was a mess as employees were scattered and the shipping and receiving infrastructure (eg roads) wasn't functioning at all well.

The newest map doesn't enlighten us that much.

My gut feeling is, it will go in east of Texas.

From your gut to Gustav's ear.

Not that I'd wish a hurricane on anyone...