Accuweather.com (home of JLF pal Joe Bastardi) foresees possibility for trouble here in North Carolina later this week:
We have a fair amount of confidence in the track of Ernesto over the next couple of days. However, later this week, there is much more uncertainty. Ernesto is expected to head across or just east of southeastern Florida late Tuesday into Tuesday night then continue northward near or just east of the coast of northeastern Florida later Wednesday and toward the Carolina coast later Thursday. Later this week, a large area of high pressure is expected to build over the northeastern U.S. If this system is strong enough and builds far enough to the south, it will close off the escape route for the storm off to the northeast and Ernesto would be trapped. This would mean we could be dealing with a tropical storm or perhaps even a hurricane somewhere along the mid-Atlantic coast heading into the Labor Day weekend.
It sounds like it could do what Hurricane Dennis did back in 1999, also during the Labor Day weekend. What a mess that was ? especially when it finally came ashore, crossing over Raleigh during N.C. State’s home football game against South Carolina. That made it one of the Wolfpack’s ultimate “I was there” games, and I was there, in the upper deck, watching the elements conspire to wash away all offensive production as the rain came in sheets and the wind blew at tropical storm force (the game ended up a 10-0 victory for the home team, with scores set up by turnovers and a blocked punt recovered in the end zone).
[Co?]Incidentally, N.C. State’s home opener is this weekend.
