All of Southeast Texas is under a tropical storm warning tonight. The weather here today has been a strange brew of clouds, wind, and sun breaks. A look at the radar picture shows a big sinister-looking "something" lurking in the Gulf of Mexico just 100 miles southeast of Galveston- far enough away to afford some warning, but also close enough to create some nervous tension.
Anyone who went through TS Allison last year or TS Frances three years ago, or even Hurricane Alicia in 1983 will fear the potential of any tropical storm. I've lived here only five years, but that's long enough to learn to respect and fear the power of tropical storms. That is one of the risks of life on the Gulf of Mexico, but at times like this, it can feel like living under the Sword of Damocles.
Tropical Depression #6 sits out in the Gulf, stationary, trying to make up it's mind. My office is perhaps a mile or two inland, and home is about a half-mile, close enough to the coastline to feel some of the effects of the approaching depression. The winds have picked up, and the clouds are circulating in a manner not normal for weather systems in these parts. No, something is definitely up...what, exactly, is another matter.
The waiting for an approaching storm is the hardest part, like waiting for those annoying relatives and not knowing where they're supposed to hit town. Not knowing when, how, and how hard a tropical storm can be a bit unnerving, especially when you look at a radar picture and all you see is orange and red heading your way.
Living on the Gulf is equal part risk and reward. It's a beautiful place, but at times that beauty can exact a fearful price. As of 6.45pm, TD #6 sits there, 100 miles southeast of Galveston, trying to figure out what it's going to be when it grows up. If we're lucky, it will grow up somewhere else. If not, well, that's why we have hurricane evacuation routes leading inland...as if you could run and hide from a tropical storm.
