Hunker down, Tampa Bay. Hurricane bingo is here
The big picture: We've weathered plenty of storms here at Axios Tampa Bay. We prepare, we plan and yes, sometimes we poke fun — because that's how Floridians deal with hurricane season.
We turned all that into a bingo card. Here's hoping this season is a dud and we don't get to play.
How it works: Mark your squares by clicking on them or print the grid out and share among your friends so your whole evacuation crew can play by hand.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Miami Herald
2 days ago
- Miami Herald
For Florida surfers, Hurricane Erin could be ‘perfect storm' for an epic ride
As Floridians breathe a collective sign of relief from escaping the worst impacts of Hurricane Erin, there's one group of people that are particularly thrilled with the exact track of this storm — surfers. The large and powerful hurricane is expected to stay hundreds of miles offshore, far enough to not even swipe the Sunshine State with rain bands or high winds, but close enough to send high swells rolling toward the coastline. Meteorologists warn that the rough waters come with dangerous rip tides for beachgoers and hazardous conditions for boaters. But for many board aficionados, it means one thing: Surf's up. 'It looked like the storm stayed the perfect distance off the coast,' said Jordan Schwartz, owner of the family-owned and operated Ohana Surf Shop on Stuart's Hutchinson Island. 'It's definitely dangerous conditions, but fun for experienced surfers.' Schwartz said business has been booming at the store ever since Erin was officially named, a welcome reprieve from a 'really flat summer,' and terrible winter and spring for surfing. 'It's the first sign of life wave-wise,' he said. 'In the Treasure Coast we're going to see 8 to 10 foot surf.' Erin's surf and storm surge could cause erosion along sections of the Florida and East Coast and shapes up as potentially worse for North Carolina's barrier islands, which are under mandatory evacuation orders ahead of the four feet of storm surge and 20-foot offshore waves Erin is expected to bring. But the large storm also looms as an awesome setup for Florida surfers. The further north up the coast, the more intense the swells will be but even South Florida is expected to catch a piece of the action. Mike Mann, the owner of Longboard House, a family-owned surf shop in Indialantic near Melbourne Beach, said surfers there are preparing for six to eight-foot swells, a big jump from the one to three-foot waves they normally see in the area. Mann said the shop has been selling 15 or so surfboards a day to Floridians traveling from 'Tampa, Orlando, Brevard, you name it,' hoping to get what could be the best ride of the year. 'It's one of those perfect storm conditions that only happen once in a great while,' he said. 'It's not going to hit us, which is the best thing. It's awful when you're surfing and you know you've only got six hours before you've got to get out of town.' Erin is far enough off shore that its waves have a long time to roll in, known as a groundswell instead of a wind swell. These well-spaced waves give surfers a long, smooth ride. Another bonus, said 82-year-old Mann, is they give older surfers enough time to pop up and ride the wave. 'The old guys can't jump up fast enough anymore but when you have a groundswell, you have time to get up,' he said. 'So the older guys can actually get up.' Unfortunately, Mann won't be one of them, as he's recovering from back surgery. He's hoping for a repeat of these perfect conditions in the next year. 'I need it to happen again before I get old!' he said, laughing.
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Yahoo
Hurricane Erin could form within the next 5 days. Current predictions on Florida impact
The National Hurricane Center reports that Tropical Storm Erin could reach hurricane status within the next five days. It's still too early to predict what impacts, if any, Erin could have on Florida or any other parts of the eastern United States. Current spaghetti models show the storm shifting northward as it slows in the tropical Atlantic basin. The uncertainty should be a good reminder for Floridians to brush up on their hurricane preparedness plans and make sure their hurricane supplies are topped off. What are the latest updates on Tropical Storm Erin? Erin had a relatively uneventful Monday night. Geostationary satellite imagery captured over the past few hours showed no notable developments regarding the storm's organization. The NHC also saw warmer cloud tops, which indicate weaker thunderstorms. Microwave scans showed a well-defined banding feature over the southern semicircle of the system, and tropical-force winds were still measured. In other words, Erin has weakened slightly but still remains a tropical storm. Erin is hauling west at 22 mph, and it's expected to continue that track over the next few days, thanks, in part, to a strong ridge north of the tropical cyclone producing easterly steering currents. As the ridge weakens, Erin will start to slow down and shift west-northwest. Models expect the track to gradually shift to a north-northwest path by early next week. Tropical Storm Erin strength forecast: When will we see Hurricane Erin? A large plume of Saharan dust just ahead of Tropical Storm Erin dried up a bit of the humidity the storm would be using to fuel development now, but the lull won't last. Erin is expected to enter warmer waters that are forecast to have low vertical wind shear over the next several days. The combination will lead to rapid intensification and could result in Erin becoming the first hurricane of the 2025 Atlantic season by Thursday and a major hurricane by Sunday morning, according to the NHC. Quick facts you should know about Tropical Storm Erin Tropical Storm Erin maintained its strength through Monday night. We could see a lull in development over the next 72 hours before the system moves into warmer waters and faces very low wind shear. Those favorable conditions could lead to a major Hurricane Erin within the next five days, according to the NHC. Current location: About 690 miles west of the Cabo Verde Islands and 1890 miles east of the northern Leeward Islands. Strength: Maximum sustained wind speeds were last measured around 45 mph Movement: West at 22 mph Minimum central pressure: 1004 MB, 29.65 inches Will Tropical Storm Erin hit Florida? The jury is currently out on whether Florida will see any impacts from Tropical Storm Erin. It's still too early to determine if Erin could have any impacts on Florida or any other parts of the eastern United States, according to the NHC. Florida's Gulf Coast residents are a bit safer, based on current models, but should still monitor the storm as it develops. If Erin strengthens into a major hurricane and passes within 100 miles east of the U.S., AccuWeather says that it could bring heavy seas and a chance of heavy rain to a portion of Florida's northeastern coast. Areas including Daytona Beach and Jacksonville would be included. Tropical Storm Erin spaghetti models Special note about spaghetti models: Illustrations include an array of forecast tools and models, and not all are created equal. The hurricane center uses only the top four or five highest performing models to help make its forecasts. How likely is a hurricane to make landfall in the US in 2025? Unsurprisingly, Florida leads the pack in terms of probability, but it's not the only state with odds that are essentially impossible to avoid. Here's a look at the probabilities of coastal states from Texas to Maine: Named storms in the 2025 Atlantic hurricane season Here's a list of the four named storms we've had during the 2025 Atlantic hurricane season. Editor's note: This story has been updated with the latest information regarding Tropical Storm Erin. This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Tropical Storm Erin could ramp up to major hurricane. Florida impacts:
Miami Herald
08-08-2025
- Miami Herald
Lightning strike rattles alligator farm in Florida. The gators weren't fazed
Of all places, lightning dared to strike a lagoon full of large alligators in Florida, officials say. It happened Aug. 6 at St. Augustine Alligator Farm Zoological Park in St. Augustine after the park was closed for the day, and the lack of witnesses means no one knows for sure if the alligators threw a fit. But more importantly, all the fences held, the park reports. 'News Alert. Alligators are contained,' the farm wrote in an Aug. 7 Facebook post. 'Our largest oak tree in the center lagoon ... appears to have fallen from lightning damage, and it's a miracle no alligators were hurt.' Lightning can reach 50,000 degrees, which some Floridians swear is the average temperature there during the summer. Photos of the aftermath show the lagoon's 27 adult alligators were found lounging around the debris as if nothing happened. The largest of them is about 13.5 feet, the park says. News of the lightning strike generated more than 1,600 reactions and comments on Facebook within 24 hours, some noting it's no accident that alligators 'survived for so many centuries.' 'Getting in there with a chainsaw for cleanup should be ... interesting, haha. Good luck,' Jake Harper wrote on the park's Facebook page. Some of the park's shows, such as the gator feeding, were moved until the damage could be assessed and cleared, officials said. 'The alligators were not bothered by all of our activity and quickly got out of the way as we started cleaning up,' the park told McClatchy News in an email. St. Augustine Alligator Farm Zoological Park is considered 'a quintessential Florida attraction' and is an accredited zoo. There are around 800 alligators at the farm and 24 species of crocodilians overall in the park. Among the attractions are zip-line rides 'across the Alligator Lagoon on Crocodile Crossing,' the park says. The farm is about a 40-mile drive south from Jacksonville.
