F is for...

...Feeder bands. they talk about these alot. these are the outer edges of the hurricane that sort of resemble a pinwheel. they rotate around the eye & they are essentially what fuels (or *feeds*) the storm. they can extend out from the center of the storm for hundreds of miles & they often contain tropical storm force winds & heavy rains & can spawn tornadoes.
...Fantastic. that would be dripping with sarcasm for those of you who missed that part.
...Front right quandrant: this is usally the most common area of the storm to produce the tornadoes i mentioned earlier.
...First storm of the season to come up the Atlantic coast as opposed to following along Cuba & turning up into the Gulf.
...Florida, where we have unbelievably high odds of being hit with hurricanes, higher than anywhere else. i had the actual statistics here somewhere but for the life of me, can't figure out what i did with them...
...Fort Lauderdale area where Andie lives. hope this storm leaves them (and the rest of us) alone.
...Figures we couldn't go for more than a week without another named storm. i'm not even surprised at this point.
...Four: the number of major hurricanes that hit FL last year. so far we've been very very lucky. and for that i am thankful.
...Frances: the 2nd major hurricane to hit FL in 2004. point of reference for you: it made landfall in the Ft Pierce area on September 5th. we are on the letter F a full 6 1/2 weeks earlier this year!



...and finally: meet Franklin who recieved his name earlier this evening. i've yet to see a 5-day projected storm track like this before! there's not even a cone of error...it's a giant...circle...? i don't get it. but hey if he wants to be confused & stay out to sea & away from us, fine by me!!