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Heather Hughes, Trekking Along
Squalls out on the gulf stream,
Big storm commin’ soon
Passed out in my hammock
God, I slept till way past noon
Trying to Reason with Hurricane Season, Jimmy Buffet
Living in South Florida, you learn a lot about the world:
- You are not as brave as you think you are when you realize that roaches can fly.
- No place, no matter how far you travel, is as humid as South Florida.
- Adobe Seasoning makes everything better.
- There is no reasoning with hurricane season.
Hurricane Season, which begins on June 1st and goes through Thanksgiving, is something most Floridians anticipate, much like Northern anticipate the fall season. Except there are no hurricane season double Grande lattes at your local Starbucks. Now that would be a flavor of coffee; dirt, sweat, mixed in with bugs and mugginess to create such a delightful flavor. I am going to stick with my pumpkin latte, thank you.
Hurricanes might be the BIG storm, but throughout those months when the Atlantic Ocean is brewing her deadliest, we Floridians get a sample to snack on. Meaning the weather during these months is a little unpredictable. Think of it as if mother nature said to hell with it and dumped all the weather on the state at once.
One minute it is a monsoon, and the next, it is a bright, sunny day. You can watch a storm stroll down the street, and every day is a 50 percent chance of rain. Mixed in with the fact that South Florida is the lightning capital of the world, and you get the hurricane season craziness.
I have lived most of my life here, and except for college and a brief stint when I first got out, Florida has been my home. By now, you would think I have some understanding of this crazy time of the year, when making outdoor plans is a gamble. But the truth is, I still haven’t figured it out.
About three weeks ago, we were supposed to be hit by a tropical storm, so like any Floridian, I rushed out to get my supplies, unplug everything, and waited in total darkness for the storm to hit. This one decided to take a detour and hit the northwestern part of the state, leaving us alone except for a bunch of thunderstorms, and a supposed tornado, who got lost on I95.
Not much to talk about. But after spending two days of doing the unplug everything and replunging everything every 20 minutes, not going out, but board out of your mind, it makes one think how anyone wants to live in these conditions.
After living through two of the deadliest hurricanes, a bunch of not so deadly category 2s, countless tropical storms, and one storm of the century (Hurricane Andrew), you do not take the warning lightly.
Thankfully, we just had installed hurricane impact windows, so I did not have to live in a boarded-up place too.
You can always tell when it is hurricane season, because:
- Publix always has at least one display of hurricane supplies.
- You will see houses that are completely boarded up, but people are still living in them. We have a tendency that once the shutters go up, they stay up during the whole stormy season even if nothing else happens.
- We stock up on alcohol. You need something to get you through being boarded up with your family, with no electricity.
- Usually, about 9 months after the big one hits, you will see an increase in the population. Again, you need something to take away the boredom.
With all the craziness of hurricane season, you might wonder why anyone would want to live here. The truth is…we just get used to them, like alligators they are here to stay.
For most Floridians, anything below a category 3 is a day off from work and the chance to host a hurricane party. We moan and groan when the meteorologist finds another system out in the Atlantic and talk about how much power we get from our generators. But for the most part, hurricane season is something that most Floridians do not notice, much like the autumn up north.
There is one good aspect about the Florida hurricane season, is that we get some of the most beautiful sunrises and sunsets.
So, in the end, I guess the Jimmy Buffet Song, Trying to Reason with Hurricane Season, is true.
There’s white caps on the ocean
And I’m watchin’ for water spouts
It’s time to close the shutters
It’s time to go inside
In a week I’ll be in gay par-ey
Hell, that’s a mighty long airplane ride
Trekking Along 