August 20, 2007
1217
Tropical Atlantic Satellite
The high pressure behind "Dean" has gone to higher latitudes but still remains in the Atlantic with questionable dissipation. There is another low pressure east of the Antilles, but the 'heat concentration' that occurred resulting in "Dean" looks fairly well resolved for now. That's what hurricanes do; they remove heat from the troposphere and drive it into the oceans. It makes our Earth a place where life occurs.
There is still a lot of weather turbulence at the Canadian-American border. Let's hope the percipitation from "Dean" doesn't come north into the middle of North America making the current flooding worse.
August 20, 2007
1330z
UNISYS Water Vapor Satellite GOES East
The rain bands accompanying this storm reach to a large diameter. The Gulf vortex more easily viewed in the 12 hour loop acted to push "Dean" south into a rotation in the Carribean Sea. It is prudent to maintain a watch over the direction of "Dean" as the Gulf vortex moves inland. The volume of rain accompanying this storm and the land falling storm surge (the word surge was mine in this context before it was ever Bush's) should be a continued concern for all the Gulf area. With luck, the path of the hurricane won't change and New Orleans will be spared any deluge of water in any way it might come. The attention by the media of this storm has been welcome and more than prudent.
