What Began Your Interest in Hurricanes?

[Hammy]

Andrew in 1992 got me watching the weather in the first place, but the 1995 hurricane season was what really got me started tracking them extensively.

[weathaguyry]

Well, as a young kid I always loved watching the weather channel, and watching the forecasts and temperatures go by, and I remember when the forecast would call for "a few snow showers" I always thought there would be about an inch of snow. When I was 9 and Hurricane Sandy rolled around, I didn't think too much about it, but during the storm I was very frightened, and very afraid to look at the water coming in our house. When I was 11 in 2014, I really started to ponder upon what really happened, and the amazing power of hurricanes fascinated me. I always think about Hurricane Sandy, and how I want to be there when the next storm happens, and throughout 2015 and 2016, my passion for tracking storms really started, I joined Storm 2k a few days after my 13th birthday, and the first storm that I tracked that had an immediate threat to my area was Hermine, I came down to the south shore to see the storm, but it was extremely non eventful, and worst of all I had school the next day! Hurricane 2017 is soon about to start, and it looks to be the most active that we've seen in years. With the possibility of storms like Donna and Gloria, I will be on the lookout, because I pride in helping my community prepare for future storms that may have an impact on them.

[Kalrany]

I grew up on the eastern shores of Lake Michigan, and fell in love with blizzards and lake effect snow. Thunderstorms were my second love. When I moved to Galveston TX for grad school, I was interested in understanding the local weather. The hurricane Ike hit and I needed to understand the awesome power behind these storms in more detail to deal with the aftermath. While I will always prefer blizzards and snow, I find hurricanes fascinating and thrilling and terrifying in equal measure.

[galvestontx]

1983 Hurricane Alicia. Had no idea what a hurricane was or what it could do. I was only 8, and all anyone would tell me was a big storm was coming. What was different was my family moving all the stuff in the back yard into the garage and that got me thinking why are they doing this. Then they started taping the windows with a big X. Then I was really like wtf is going on here? Then it started and realized why everyone was going crazy. Wow what an intense storm... I remember the smell of fresh cut pine and them loud humming noise that a hurricane makes. Ever since that storm I have been infatuated with hurricanes.

[beoumont]

My first curiosity of what intense winds could do came when I was 5 years old, listening to the story of the The Big Bad Wolf and The Three Little Pigs.

First the wolf huffed and he puffed and blew down the house made of straw where the little pig was hiding; and ate pork.

He then came to the house made of wood, and huffed and puffed and blew the wooden house down where the next little pig was hiding; and ate some more pork.

He then came to the house made of bricks, and huffed and puffed, and huffed and puffed; but he couldn't blow that house down.

At that age, in my little mind, air was nothing; so how could the wolf "blow" a house down. That raised my first thoughts of scientific curiosity; so I asked my Dad how that was possible. He tried to explain to me that air actually has mass and enough of that mass moving fast enough could exert enough force to make objects move or even blow them over. Huh???

At the age of 12, Dad bought me a new book, written by Gordon Dunn, NHC Director, and researcher Banner Miller, "Atlantic Hurricanes". I had read earlier books about hurricanes that I checked out from the Jr.High School Library by Ivan Tannahill; but this one truly sparked my interest with its first hand accounts of the 1935 Labor Day Storm in the Florida Keys, and Super Hurricane Janet 1955. Janel flattened Swan Island and downed the only Atlantic Basin Hurricane recon plane to ever not return to base, to this day. Before the Saffir-Simpson scale, Atlantic Basin hurricanes with sustained winds over 150 mph were called Super Hurricanes in the advisories.

Later that year, Sept. 1960, the eye of Cat 4 Hurricane Donna passed over the northern Keys but sent 105 mph gusts over my house in Miami. The sound of banana trees nearby snapping when gusts reached about 50 mph, sounding like giant celery sticks being broken, hooked me on hurricanes for good.

I have thought back of the Big Bad Wolf, and now realize that only a high end Category 4 or a Category 5 wolf can blow down a well constructed house made of bricks.

I also recall that NHC Director, 1973-1987, Neil Frank used to refer to another wolf (from the Boy Who Cried Wolf) when doing TV interviews warning of an impending hurricane landfall: He would always say, "There really is a wolf out there!"

RFH

[Kazmit]

I'm glad I found this thread. My experience with hurricanes extends back as far as I can remember. I have been living in Bermuda most of my life, and so I've experienced many, many hurricanes and tropical storms, with the first significant one for me being Florence of 2006. I didn't remember much, except for the damage it left behind. The first storm I vividly remember was Igor in 2010. This was the storm that sparked my interest in hurricanes, and I would always be excited (as well as scared) when I was told the next one was coming.
The first storm I tracked was Hurricane Gonzalo in 2014. After Fay's havoc, I wanted to know everything about Gonzalo and where it was heading. And I've been tracking 'canes every since. Last year, I joined Storm2k, which allows me to track the seasons even easier!

[tropicwatch]

Growing up along the Gulf of Mexico in the Florida Panhandle. I seemed to be on the water constantly fishing, sailing and swimming. We always kept an I on the weather while on the water. Hurricane Eloise in 1972 was the first significant impact I had experienced. I became even more interested in the weather and more so when it came to hurricanes. With todays technology, it is quite amazing being able to see these systems go from being a blob (technical term) of showers to a massive power house system. It is a long way from the days of watching the tv and the meteorologist maybe showing a 3 second satellite loop and penciling in a position on a tracking map.

[Hypercane_Kyle]

Hard to pick a single reason why. Being in the eyewall of Hurricane Floyd in 1999 might have contributed heavily to my interest in hurricanes as a kid, but I always had a passion for severe weather, especially tornadoes and thunderstorms.

[northjaxpro]

Hurricane David in 1979 which was my 1st real threat living in SE Florida.

Yes, it was Hurricane David for me as well as the storm tracked just 30 miles offshore parallel the Florida East Coast after initially landfalling in West Palm Beach. I was a teenager at that time and David was the first tropical cyclone I had the up close experience of being brushed by or experienced significant effects.

[jasons2k]

I've been interested in the weather for as long as I can remember, as my grandfather kept a daily log of observations at his house and introduced me to NOAA Weather Radio (remember those days)? I loved watching Roy Leep on WTVT. Weather broadcasting was serious business under his leadership.

When I was about 4, we had a weak tornado in my neighborhood, and I imagined being in Kansas during a big tornado after watching The Wizard of Oz. We had some flooding in the Tampa area with tropical systems, but nothing major. Just scattered memories here and there. I vaguely remember some TV news coverage about David and Frederick. My first real interest in hurricanes was because of an episode of Flipper - an episode about a hurricane striking, and they described the calm eye and then the backside of the storm. It seemed so scary, but exciting all at the same time.

I really started tracking hurricanes in 1984. We had just moved to Savannah, and at one time it looked like we may get hit by Diana. I watched the Weather Channel coverage for the first time. Then, watching Elena in 1985 got me even more interested. Elena was the first storm I can remember being a 'media sensation'. Hurricane Kate (then, a TS) was my first experience in the core of a cyclone; the eye went right over us, and from then on I was pretty much obsessed with hurricanes.

[Pearl River]

Betsy in '65. I was in 1st grade and being 6 yo, it was exciting for me. Now at 58, it's fun to track them at sea, and always hope they stay there, but we all know that doesn't always happen.

[Tampa Bay Hurricane]

2004's Hurricane Charley- which threatened my area, got me into hurricanes. Hurricanes Frances and Jeanne furthered my interest that year.

[Vince_and_Grace_fan]

Although I have heard/read about some significant hurricanes (for example Katrina and Wilma in 2005, Gordon in 2006, Dean and Felix in 2007, Ike and Paloma in 2008) earlier in a Hungarian meteorological forum, the cyclone that I found really interesting and later inspired me was Tropical Storm Grace in 2009. I remember that I looked the satellite images early morning (local time, around 5-6 UTC) and I didn't understand what that cyclone is doing there.

[nativefloridian]

I was born and raised in Miami, FL (1957) and still live in South Florida. I've experienced several hurricanes during my 60 years here, Hurricane Cleo in 1964 and Betsy in 1965 were the first ones I remember. I remember when Cleo hit my Dad took me outside (briefly) during the eye of the storm and explained to me what was happening and that even though things were quiet, it was only going to last a short time and then the weather would get real bad again. The next day we took a drive along Collins Avenue in Miami Beach to see what damage had occurred. As I got older I became more and more intrigued with weather and consider myself a definite weather junkie. I'm in awe of tropical systems: their metamorphosis; the outlying factors to feed or dissipate a system and/or determine their path; and, in general, the entire evolution process in the development of a hurricane. Tropical cyclones are fascinating and their destruction can be devastating. It's amazing to see how things have advanced as far as preparation because back in the 60's it was taping over the jalousie windows; then came boarding up windows with plywood; now it's shuttering windows or installing impact windows. I suppose I will continue to be a hurricane follower and my family members now ask me for updates on tropical cyclones because they know once one is brewing, I'm stuck like glue!

[galaxy401]

I got into hurricanes when I was a kid. Frequently watching the Weather Channel, I would see reports of hurricanes in the Atlantic and the threat they have to the US (mainly Florida). I remember watching information about Charley, Frances, and Ivan. After Katrina, my interest in it waned until 2008. During Gustav and Ike, I would check the Weather Channel and the NHC website for the latest information of these storms. Since then I would always keep track of the latest updates each season.

[SouthDadeFish]

Like many of the previous posts, I became fascinated by hurricanes at a young age. The house I grew up in was heavily damaged by the northern eyewall of Hurricane Andrew. Although I was quite young at the time, ever since I can remember, I have always wondered how could something be so powerful to cause that much damage? This curiosity led me to routinely follow the tropics and weather in general. It led me to my undergrad degree in atmospheric science and now I'm in graduate school pursuing my PhD. My thesis focuses on factors affecting tropical cyclone intensity change. Hopefully one day we can truly figure out the remaining mysteries of tropical cyclones

I always love reading stories like the ones in this thread. Glad to see so many fellow weather weenies out there!

[wxman57]

My first experience with a hurricane was Hilda in 1964. Then cam Betsy in 1965. I lived in Lafayette, LA at the time.

Here's a satellite shot of Hilda. I think the Gulf coast was traced in by a toddler.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurricane_Hilda#/media/File:Hurricane_Hilda.JPG

[cycloneye]

My interest in Hurricanes began with Hurricane DONNA in 1960 when I was only 4 years old as it was a killer one here in Puerto Rico even thou the core passed to our north causing massive floodings and the fatalities were around 100 people.Since then I became a hurricane geek as we are in the alley and I began to collect the maps every year to track them from the east.

[srainhoutx]

I had a curiosity with weather at a very early age and when Hurricane Carla came calling in September 1961 while still young, that curiosity grew into a quest for knowledge about all things weather related. I remember giving daily Forecasts with hand drawn weather charts in Junior High in the late 60's. The interest continued into my adult life when as an Officer in various Fire Departments, I wrote Standard Operating Procedures for Municipalities. The last SOP I wrote was extremely detailed as Hurricane Andrew (1992) came offshore in South Florida and continued into the Gulf of Mexico.

I never dreamed that that my passion for all things weather would continue to today at the level it has. I have been fortunate to be the Site Administrator of the KHOU Weather Forum for the past 11 years and travel at least once a year to the National Tropical Weather Conference representing the KHOU Weather Forum. I am so blessed to have met and become friends with so many of the "Hero's" in the Tropical Weather field such Dr. Neil Frank, Bill Read, Rick Knabb and of course our own wxman57 among many others.

[Tireman4]

I never dreamed that that my passion for all things weather would continue to today at the level it has. I have been fortunate to be the Site Administrator of the KHOU Weather Forum for the past 11 years and travel at least once a year to the National Tropical Weather Conference representing the KHOU Weather Forum. I am so blessed to have met and become friends with so many of the "Hero's" in the Tropical Weather field such Dr. Neil Frank, Bill Read, Rick Knabb and of course our own wxman57 among many others.[/quote]


And your forecasts are always thorough and we thank you for it. I second Srain on the KHOU Weather Forum. Met many friends and they all rock.