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GET ON WITH IT, OPHELIA

Hunkered down in the Side Salad Weather Center's Doppler 12,000 North Carolina Bureau, Willie Drye, author of Storm of the Century: The Labor Day Hurricane of 1935, reports in that things are tense in Hurricane Alley:

Hi guys:

Have been cranking out so many stories about Hurricane Katrina that I almost overlooked the windy bitch that's headed our way. It looks like Ophelia is going to go over us about as slowly as elderly snowbirds driving through Miami in the fast-lane.

Like her Shakespearean namesake, Ophelia has been wandering around crazily for what seems like forever. Around and around, back and forth, then finally stumbling toward North Carolina a few days ago. You could tell the moment the thing got into the neighborhood. Monday morning was pleasant and cool, with low humidity. Late Monday afternoon, it was like someone flipped a switch -- warm and muggy, just like that. Rain bands started going through yesterday afternoon, and more today. Barometer has dropped from 29.84 at 7:30 this morning [Wednesday] to 29.72 at 5 p.m. So it's coming closer.

Today I did the usual last-minute stuff -- topped off the fuel tanks, got cash, fired up the generator to make sure it's working and then moved it from the shed to the back porch.

Beaucat and I are batching it for the next couple of weeks. Jane is en route to Wales with her mom, Aunt Linda and cousin Samantha. But we've got the essential supplies -- plenty of water, whiskey, cat food and litter.

By all accounts, this one isn't expected to be as bad as Isabel a couple of years ago, but I'm not going to risk offending the Mayan god, Hurukan, by speaking disrespectfully of Ophelia. You never know with these things. The worst is supposed to get here sometime tonight, and it'll be blowing most of tomorrow. The worrisome thing about this one is that it's moving so damn slowly. Even a Category 1 can tear things up if it takes 10 or 12 hours or more to pass you.

The Weather Channel is saying 50 mph winds for Plymouth, and if that's the worst we get I'll take it and say "Thank you very much."

It's after 5 p.m. Am going to go out on the front porch with a martini and the cat and watch the weather. Will keep you posted until the power goes out and/or the phone lines go down.

Later,

Willie