http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/front/3372759 Expect another big hit in October, forecasters say Researchers also warn that U.S. is in a powerful cycle that could span 10 to 40 years By USHA LEE MCFARLING Los Angeles Times Meteorologists examining the conditions that spawned hurricanes Rita and Katrina say there is a strong likelihood another intense hurricane will occur in October. And while late-season storms tend to track eastward toward Florida or don't make landfall at all, the experts don't rule out the possibility of another major storm targeting the battered Gulf region. Researchers also warn that the country should brace for 10 to 40 more years of powerful storms because of a natural ocean cycle now in the midst of the most active hurricane period on record. "This has been the seventh hyperactive year since 1995," said Stan Goldenberg, a meteorologist with the Hurricane Research Division of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. "Not every year is going to be like this one, but there's going to be plenty of active years to come," he said. The hurricane season does not end until Nov. 30, and a leading forecast group is predicting that October will see two hurricanes, one of them reaching Category 3, 4 or 5. The chance of that storm making landfall in the United States is set at 21 percent, said Philip J. Klotzbach, a member of the tropical storm forecasting team led by William M. Gray of Colorado State University. Klotzbach's forecast does not address where hurricanes make landfall or whether the Gulf Coast could be a target again.
Talked to a guy from Beaumont. He's staying with family on the west side of town now because his house was destroyed...as was virtually every home in his neighborhood. He said his neighborhood was very much like mine...about 40 years old surrounded by trees of the same age. His home had 3 trees fall on it. He saw other homes with more than that fallen on them. Says about half the trees in the area fell down. Pines snapped at about 20 feet up, leaving the tops to fall down on whatever was unfortunate enough to be below them. He's self-employed...says there will be no money in the local Beaumont economy for him to re-start there anytime soon. And fellas...this was a Cat 3 when it made landfall.
I saw several pine trees that snapped halfway up, get this though, the tops were NO WHERE TO BE FOUND. Apparently several tornadoes came through the area, they didn't touch down, but they came close enough to the ground to twist the tops off the pine trees and launch the missles miles away. My friend said he saw an entire pine tree stuck head first in the middle of an open field somewhere
Here's a BIGGER look (don't forget to click the resulting image to see the REAL SIZE of the picture):
