What Began Your Interest in Hurricanes?

[MGC]

Hilda in 64 and then Betsy in 65. I figured out real quick that these things called hurricanes could keep me out of school, kinda like a snow day for you Yankees. After seeing building getting blown apart with my own two eyes I developed an immediate respect for these monsters. I was 10 in 65 and 4 years later we had another big scare in New Orleans, Camille. Luckly for New Orleans, Mississippi got slammed. I could not believe my eyes when I saw the damage Camille caused, only to see that surpassed by Katrina.......MGC

[skysummit]

When sucky little Juan put my house under water when I was a kid and Halloween had to be cancelled.

[Epsilon_Fan]

when I was a kid watching the Tropical Update with John Hope, I think thats him... I have watched TWC Tropical Update ever since then

I think he died a few years back

[Brandon007]

I have always been interested in bad weather mostly thunder and lightning, as well as tornados, hurricanes as well but 2004 with Ivan really got me into hurricanes as I was affected by it for about 3 days then Katrina in 2005 ever since then I've been hooked. Its weird I don't really know why I like destructive weather I just do

[JtSmarts]

Hugo Sparked my interest.

[southerngale]

Well, my mom went to the hospital, and out came me. I think it was the next day.
Ok, seriously...I don't remember a time when I wasn't interested in hurricanes. I started tracking them on tracking charts when I was quite little, before I had ever experienced one. My sister and I, as well as my mom, have always been "into" the weather, particularly the tropics. We've always loved thunderstorms and truly enjoy rainy days (unless we have outdoor plans). I don't remember a time when I didn't follow hurricanes and just all types of weather. My dad keeps up with the weather, but instead of watching every sat pic, etc., he always watches the weather on the news and will ask me or my sister for updates when there's something brewing. He thinks if he misses the weather on the news, we won't have any weather.

[KWT]

Has to be Alex 2004 and watching it bold across the atlantic hitting our shores as a strong extra-tropical storm giving some nasty T-storms, it really was stunning to watch it push across the atlantic. That intrest was secured by a full day of watching the TV via the internet and using radar to watch Charley roll in.

[Ixolib]

He thinks if he misses the weather on the news, we won't have any weather.

[weatherwoman132]

I got pretty obsessed after hurricane season. 2004. I live in florida, I got to witness them first hand, and now I cant stop talking about them

[Blown Away]

- Hurricane David 1979 -

It started w/ helping Dad put up the shutters, that was cool for a little kid, then sitting on the front porch w/ my brothers throwing objects into the 80-100mph wind gusts blowing over the house. The experience that got me hooked was the eye, I was amazed that one minute 100mph gusts and then a few minutes later blue skies and birds chirping. After that experience I was fascinated w/ weather and when the Weather Channel got started, John Hope's updates and incite educated and intrigued me. John Hope's influence got me to read weather books as a teenager and eventually take some meteorology courses in college.

[HalloweenGale]

For me, it was Hurricane Alicia.

For my grandson, it was hurricane Bob(1991)

[facemane]

Hurricane Camille. I was 7 years old at the time,and I remember my
parents telling my sisters and me that we were going to spend the
night at the schoolhouse because we had some bad weather coming.
Even at that young age,I knew something was serious since both sets
of Grandparents,Aunts,Uncles and cousins were coming with us. It was
also the first time I saw Grown men and women cry due to fear.

[terstorm1012]

Hugo in 1989 most likely, as that is the earliest storm that I can remember.

I was alive for Gloria, but don't remember it. We were in Miami for Bob (of all the ironies) but not for Andrew, which was the first storm I tracked with a national geographic map.

My great uncle also worked at the National Weather Service in Silver Spring, MD...that also got me interested, plus he was from key west so he had great storm stories.

[jabber]

Irene... did it for me. I remember sitting at work on a Friday not really paying attention to where she was going... thinking Tampa. Later in the afternoon the weather started getting worse, guess what she turned more to the east. Left work, drove through flooding, barely made it home. Dragged what I could inside, winds and rain hit... water came within 2 inches from the front door. Lost power for 24 hours. I thought never again will I be surprised from a storm.

[Hybridstorm_November2001]

Another thing that got me interested is stories my Grandmother would tell me about Hurricane Edna in 1954. She lived in these parts since after WW II; 1945 onward). The yard of the house, that I have now, was totally flooded. Funny thing about that is the fact that we are inland and not near any rivers; only a small stream that runs along one end of the property. She saved the News Paper photos taken of the house, and community, and it is shocking to see it on a little Island surrounded by a large pond and dozens of tress either snapped or uprooted Considering the area was recovering from Wind damage from Carol at the time, probably only weakened things of course. Though the paper say the second 'Cane did the loin's share of the damage. My Granny use to say that the wind and rain was so intense at times she thought the house (which is a good size) was going to be blown away, she also side the lightning was like nothing she ever saw; very intense. Guess that is what started my interest. By far the worse storm she said we had here in 50 years.

[Camille_2_Katrina]

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[x-y-no]

I caught the bug when my dad took me for a tour of the old Hurricane Center on the UM campus.

I've been tracking them every year since then.

[SouthFloridawx]

I noticed one thing that almost all of us share in common with our love of the weather is that we all started liking weather at a very young age. Some of us started liking hurricanes later on but, I know that eventhough for a couple of years I didn't follow the weather when I was around 21 but, I have always known that I loved the weather. I think it is one of the few things on this earth that allow us to have a passion for something that is really truly REAL.

[tailgater]

Betsy got me good, we had to take shelter at a nearby school, where the winds blew out some of the windows. She(they were all women back then) hit on the eve of my birthday Sept. 9, so my mama brought the cake with us, Coke, Cake and a Cane what could be better.

A few years later when I was 9 Camile went to the MSG so I climbed a tree in the front yard and had a good ole time, swaying back and forth in the stiff breeze, which is all she gave us.

Hoping Katrina and Rita didn't ruin it all but seeing first hand the destruction they caused has me and many others hoping they stay away for a long time.

PS Birthday on the peak of hurricane season

[Recurve]

Moving to the Florida Keys 20 years ago. Was always interested in science and weather, but living 5 feet above sea level in an island chain where some very bad hurricanes have struck really focused my interest.

BTW, back over 500 posts again. I'm a TS! (I was one before, but had a computer meltdown, lost my cookies (ha!), signed up with a new name last year.)