A cold front will roll through the area tonight-early Tuesday after a warm Monday that saw temps. make it into the low 80s -- just a few degrees from record highs for the date. While showers & storms have been heavy & pretty impressive with the front Sun. through Mon., the upper level support/energy is moving well to the north + the line of showers will arrive at night when it's cooler, so I'm not anticipating that the line will manage to hold together much. So Waycross to Lake City & nearby areas will manage some lightning & brief heavier rain with totals of a quarter to half inch but the lightning will wane as the line heads east &
so will rain amounts. By the time the showers are to the I-95 corridor -- including metro Jax, I expect rainfall to average a quarter of an inch or less. Strong storms will probably fire overnight near & over the Gulf Stream so if cloud cover isn't too thick, there might be a pretty good lightning show for coastal folks.
Temperatures will be much cooler but still near average for Tuesday with afternoon highs near 70 degrees.
NS Mayport is officially Tsunami "Ready" & was recognized today in an on-base ceremony. Here are the details as sent to me from the Jax Nat. Weather Service:
National Weather Service to Recognize Naval Station Mayport As Nation's First TsunamiReady(r) Naval Site
MAYPORT, Fla. - The National Weather Service has designated Naval Station Mayport as the nation's first naval site to achieve
TsunamiReady(r) status. This achievement affords the thousands of military and civilian personnel at the station or on ships in the harbor
-- an added level of safety in the event of a catastrophic Tsunami.
The National Weather Service and Naval Station Mayport held a ceremony for the achievement Monday, Nov. 26 at 1 p.m. on Naval Station Mayport The third largest naval fleet concentration area in the Navy, Naval Station Mayport has also earned the distinction of being recognized as StormReady(r), one of only seven military installations to be designated as a StormReady(r) site.
The National Weather Service TsunamiReady(r) program is designed to help communities develop the preparedness plans, educational programs and communications necessary for successful tsunami disaster mitigation. It allows local leaders and emergency managers to develop and fine tune their action plan for training, weather monitoring, warning reception and dissemination; and, educate citizens about the proper response to a tsunami warning.
TsunamiReady is a National Weather Service (NWS) initiative that promotes tsunami hazard preparedness as an active collaboration among Federal, state and local emergency management agencies, the public, and the NWS tsunami warning system. This collaboration supports better and more consistent tsunami awareness and mitigation efforts among communities at risk.
While rare, tsunami's can & have occurred on the First Coast. One of the most significant was way back in 1886 & was a result of a strong earthquake in the Carolinas. The resulting tsunami hit a then sparsely-populated Mayport. Click here for an excellent powerpoint presentation by Daniel Noah of the Tampa (Ruskin) N.W.S. regarding Gulf Coast & East Coast tsunami's & why the waves occur.
Have you seen the story on ESPN about a local Jacksonville woman -- Cathy Parker -- raising money to put a football field in Barrow, Alaska? The first coverage was back in the summer with a follow-up story that ran Sunday. Go to "Project Alaska" for all the details, fund raising info. & to see many of the stories that have aired nationally & internationally. It's good stuff!
