Hurricane Ike homes in on Houston and Galveston

Another hurricane is set to strike the gulf coast. This time along the Texas coastline. This is a Texas sized storm, pretty large by hurricane standards. Yet it is still only rated as a category 2 on the Staffer-Simpson scale. The wind field is pretty large. Usually the strongest winds are located in close proximity to the hurricane eye-wall. However with Hurricane Ike, tropical storm force winds extend out 250 miles from the center. This will lead to a pretty big waves and a big storm surge. The Saffir-Simpson Scale is used to rate a hurricane's intensity. It provides an estimate of the type of property damage you can expect when the storm passes over. The ratings run from 1 through five and here they are:

Category 1- Winds 74-95 mph (64-82 kt or 119-153 km/hr). Storm surge generally 4-5 ft above normal.

Category 2- Winds 96-110 mph (83-95 kt or 154-177 km/hr). Storm surge generally 6-8 feet above normal.

Category 3 - Winds 111-130 mph (96-113 kt or 178-209 km/hr). Storm surge generally 9-12 ft above normal.

Category 4- Winds 131-155 mph (114-135 kt or 210-249 km/hr). Storm surge generally 13-18 ft above normal.

Category 5- Winds greater than 155 mph (135 kt or 249 km/hr). Storm surge generally greater than 18 ft above normal.

The storm surge is going to be the main problem with this storm. According to the latest forecasts, the surge could be up to 20 feet above normal, which places it in the Category 5 area as far as the surge is concerned. That could change as the storm nears the coast over the next 24 hours. If you look at the path above, note that after Hurricane Ike makes landfall the remnants will pass close to West Virginia. Looks like we are going to get some rain next week. Even though I like clear skies for viewing the sky at night, it is getting a little bit dry. The forests and the plants could use a little bit of water.