The most clueless thing I've ever heard...

[JetMaxx]

I nearly fell out of my chair a few minutes ago when WSB-TV Chief Meteorologist Glenn Burns said the following:

Don't worry about hurricane Isabel being so intense. Due to all the cool waters left near the Bahamas in Fabian's wake, Isabel is sure to weaken..

Number one....Fabian was nowhere near the Bahamas (it's an easy mistake Glenn..Bahamas & Bermuda both begin with a "B"

Number two...the waters around the Bahamas and Turks and Caicos Islands (where Glenn projects Issy in 5 days...so he's believing the ECMWF scenario)....those Bahamian waters are several degrees WARMER than the sst's Isabel is currently traveling over as a cat-5 (see below)

Latest SST MAP
http://128.160.23.54/products/MCSST/HPCg26.gif

Isabel may weaken west of longitude 70W, but it certainly won't be from cool sst's (at least in the direction of the Bahamas). I've been watching weather on tv for over thirty years, and what I heard tonight ranks up there as the most clueless comments I've ever heard a meteorologist speak....totally!

[opera ghost]

Actully I believe he's refering to the slice of dark blue between Isabel and the CONUS (Isabel being in the lighter blue patch shaped surprisingly enough like a hurricane)

I actully agree with the weakening slighly.

By the same token- once she floats on past that trail of cooler waters (and they're only a degree or so cooler) and into the warm, sun baked waters just beyond- I'd guess she'll flare back up to a 5.

[Rainband]

The forecasts does weaken her to CAT4..so I thought

[Sean in New Orleans]

The storm will exhaust itself, most likely, then will weaken slightly and then it will return to it's prior strength or possibly even stronger. These are generally the phases of a category 5 hurricane. However, these category 5 hurricanes are different from others. They do as they please--they will plow through a cold front or a high pressure. They are the more powerful part of nature when it compares to other variables that could affect the system. We can only watch and see where the system decides SHE wants to go. Weather individual's, at this point, will analyze and predict and models will be a good resource for guessing, but the storm will do as it wishes. The most difficult thing this storm could possibly do at this point, IMO, is to turn--it's too powerful. It will most likely continue on a beeline of it's present course.

[Stormsfury]

Only Hurricane Allen reached Category 5 status on 3 separate occasions. However, the meteorologist at WSB-TV, although may actually have looked at the ECMWF (some credit to him). However, he failed miserably to realize that the cool waters left in Fabian's wake does NOT extend past 63ºW. The waters becoming increasingly warmer, and will NOT be a problem. The only factors that could pose a damper are shear and eyewall dynamics, and I don't see much in the way of anything to shear Isabel for the next several days.

[Aquawind]

Clueless is a good word for it..geesh..

[Constructionwx]

Bless his heart, he's a Gator

RP

[zoeyann]

I am so glad you mentioned the potential turn or lack their of. I am of very little experience at this and much less experienced seeing a storm of this magnitude. It's so powerful I wonder if it could be affected by a weaker weather system

[mf_dolphin]

And a strong CAT4 isn't something to be worried about? LOL I agree with the clueless lol

[GAStorm]

I think Glenn is much better when it comes to winter weather predictions. He certainly had his mind on something else to say Fabian's wake would be an influence!

[AussieMark]

I don think that and Hurricane of Major Hurricane Status is something to be worried about.

look at what happened when a minimal category 3 hurricane slammed US in recent years
Opal - 1995 - 3.0 Billion
fran - 1996 - 3.2 Billion

Cat 2-Floyd - 1999 - 4.5 Billion

So just because it woun't be cat 5 for a long period i do think it is something to keep an eye on as anything over Category 3 status bears constant watches as it does look landfall will be on the US but where is the Million dollar question.