Hurricane Isaac

[kurt]

Thank you!

[csgrandm]

Any coffee shops open this morning?

[BeachSiO2]

Great pics!

[kurt]

In light of the current weather conditions in regards to Tropical Storm Isaac, Silver Sands Factory Stores will resume normal Center operating hours from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.

[Sowaller]

http://www.kirotv.com/weblogs/morgan...rm-photo-hoax/

[BeachSiO2]

http://www.kirotv.com/weblogs/morgan...rm-photo-hoax/

Kurt's Dennis photo is famous!!

[Sowaller]

[lenzoe]

Tropical systems have a warmer core and thunderstorms around the periphery of the storm rarely produce sufficiently cold air to produce a shelf cloud formation.
And even if that were to happen, strong wind motion just off the surface would tear a developing shelf cloud to shreds before being able to reach an appearance like this.

Sorry to hear your Dennis picture is an internet hoax, kurt. You better have a stern talk with your camera.

[Just_In_Thyme]

What's the surf doing to the beach? It is hard to tell from the beach cams. Are we going to lose stairs again or just sand?

[Teresa]

South Walton Fire District reports latest Walton County EOC information:

Tropical Storm Issac Update:
As of the 8:15 a.m. meeting at the Walton County Emergency Operations Center (EOC), the following information was gathered:

-There are no reported power outages in Walton County at this time.
-There are two reported areas of flooding which have receded.
-The Clyde B Wells/331 Bridge is still open and we do not anticipate a closure. We will continue to monitor the weather conditions.
-Currently, there are three damage assessment teams on the ground throughout the county. A report is expected later this morning.
-Waste Management is on a regular schedule and is not foreseeing any delays in service.
-County Offices are currently open with the exception of the Tourist Development Council (TDC).
-As of the update, the Walton County Beaches, Gulf, and Beach Accesses remain closed. Double red flags are still flying. Conditions will be reassessed throughout the day.

Current weather forecasts are as follows:

-Walton County remains under a tropical storm warning.
-Anticipated 30-40 mph winds, with gusts up to 50 mph.
-Moderate beach erosion expected, with 2-3 ft. storm surge. Peak tide average of 3-5 ft. The surge peak will begin at 9 a.m. and will end at approximately 9 p.m.
-Anticipate at least 4 inches of rain with isolated totals of 6.5 inches in some coastal areas.
-Isolated chance of tornadoes can not be ruled out this afternoon and Wednesday.
-All river flood and flash flood watches have been discontinued.

For more information continue to monitor your local weather and news media outlets.

Also, regarding all South Walton beaches, SWFD reports:

The beach flags for South Walton's beaches will remain DOUBLE RED all day today. Please also be advised that Emergency Management have also closed ALL of South Walton's beaches at this time.

DOUBLE RED FLAG CONDITIONS: WATER IS CLOSED TO THE PUBLIC

SURF ZONE FORECAST: WAVE HEIGHTS: 3-5 feet
RIP CURRENT DEVELOPMENT PROBABILITY AND RIP CURRENT STRENGTH: very high...a very high risk of life threatening rip currents means that wind, wave and tidal conditions all support the development of extremely strong and dangerous rip currents. Water is closed to the public.
For current Santa Rosa Beach weather conditions and our live beach cam please visithttp://www.swfd.org/weather.php

[kurt]

Erosion is happening. Some houses in Dune Allen are in trouble. Imagine a direct hit.

[Just_In_Thyme]

Thanks for the pic

[Teresa]

SWFD is doing a great job keeping the notices coming from the EOC - very timely!
This just in...

EOC Tropical Storm Isaac update #9

The latest from Walton County Emergency Operations Center (EOC)

-There are no reported power outages in Walton County at this time.
-There are two reported areas of flooding which have receded.
-The Clyde B Wells/331 Bridge is still open and we do not anticipate a closure. We will continue to monitor the weather conditions.
-Currently, there are three damage assessment teams on the ground throughout the county. A report is expected later this morning.
-Waste Management is on a regular schedule and is not foreseeing any delays in service.
-County Offices are currently open with the exception of the Tourist Development Council (TDC).
-As of the update, the Walton County Beaches, Gulf, and Beach Accesses remain closed. Double red flags are still flying. Conditions will be reassessed throughout the day.

Current weather forecasts are as follows:

-Walton County remains under a tropical storm warning.
-Anticipated 30-40 mph winds, with gusts up to 50 mph.
-Moderate beach erosion expected, with 2-3 ft. storm surge. Peak tide average of 3-5 ft. The surge peak will begin at 9 a.m. and will end at approximately 9 p.m.
-Anticipate at least 4 inches of rain with isolated totals of 6.5 inches in some coastal areas.
-We can’t rule out isolated chance of tornadoes this afternoon and Wednesday.
-All river flood and flash flood watches have been discontinued.

The National Weather Service has issued a Tornado Watch for Walton County in effect until 7 pm.

[Teresa]

[Beachgirl]

Erosion is happening. Some houses in Dune Allen are in trouble. Imagine a direct hit.

Kurt, what's the location of this pic? Thanks.

[Teresa]

Just in from Walton County Sheriff's office:

The Tropical Storm Warning in Walton County has been degraded to a Tropical Storm Watch with bands moving into the South Walton area. A power line in Inlet Beach has been reported down. There is no reported standing water on the roadways as of now. We will continue to monitor the situation and update when necessary. In the meantime, please exercise safety and sound judgment.

[Teresa]

Just in from SWFD

11:00 a.m. Update

Our SWFD Fire Operations Center (FOC) remains staffed and is in constant communication with our county EOC. Our fire stations are fully staffed and your firefighters are prepared to respond.

Our beaches remain CLOSED and we remain under Double Red Flag Conditions. Please adhere to the beach closure and do not cross the yellow safety tape placed along the beach accesses. Each access should have enough room to walk up and see the rough surf and surge conditions we are experiencing. Please do not place our lifeguards and repsonders in a situation to have to perform a rescue in these dangerous conditions.

The Tropical Storm Warning in Walton County has been degraded to a Tropical Storm Watch with bands moving into the South Walton area. A power line in Inlet Beach has been reported down . There is no reported standing water on the roadways as of now. We will continue to monitor the situation and update when necessary. In the meantime, please exercise safety and sound judgment.

[mputnal3]

Wow, pretty amazing that the storm is so far away yet still so powerful to create that amount of storm surge. A picture paints a thousand words as Kurt's pictures explain the effects of mother nature's power. There is a lot of energy in these storms and since Sir Issac explained that energy can not be created or destroyed but is transormed over time it should be expected that man made stuff is very temporary. If we ever take a direct hit I can not imagine what transformations will take place but I believe it will look a lot different than it does now.

[topdawg jr]

The Eastern Lake outflow Tuesday around 630AM

Has the water made it up into the lower units at Eastern Shores? Your help is sincerely appreciated! Great pic, should be plenty of good fishing in the mouth of the lake in October.

[beachma]

We are back at Leeward II today...it looks like the water came up to the steps to Eastern Shores, but not up to the units. It's very windy and difficult to walk any closer to look at it directly, but I'm fairly certain it's ok. We have a beachfront deck and because the wind is coming from the East, the Leeward I building is blocking it and we are able to enjoy the beach from the deck! I have been a bit disturbed because there is a family on the beach in front of Eastern Shores, not actually getting directly in the water, but playing right at the edge...they have children with them and I can't conceive why they would put their children at risk and ignore the closed beach order...

Has the water made it up into the lower units at Eastern Shores? Your help is sincerely appreciated! Great pic, should be plenty of good fishing in the mouth of the lake in October.

[Amy&John]

Thanks for the update on the Eastern Lake area. Anyone out there see anything near Sugar Dunes, which is on the east side of Eastern Lake? I've tried to get the live beach cams to display on my computer, but no luck.

[Teresa]

Isaac Reaches Hurricane Strength

Hurricane Isaac is now a category 1 strength storm with maximum sustained wind of 75 mph. Water is rising all along the coast from Louisiana to the Florida Panhandle as Hurricane Isaac makes its final approach.
Wunderground

[Lake View Too]

Has the water made it up into the lower units at Eastern Shores? Your help is sincerely appreciated! Great pic, should be plenty of good fishing in the mouth of the lake in October.

From the debris line, it looks like some waves got almost to the sand fencing, but nowhere near the units themselves. It looks like we are at low tide now, and the ocean is easily 50 yards away from the building, maybe more. It's all boarded up and safe.

[lenzoe]

-Moderate beach erosion expected, with 2-3 ft. storm surge. Peak tide average of 3-5 ft. The surge peak will begin at 9 a.m. and will end at approximately 9 p.m.

Do they mean between 9:00 am and 9:00 pm today?

[Lake View Too]

Thanks for the update on the Eastern Lake area. Anyone out there see anything near Sugar Dunes, which is on the east side of Eastern Lake? I've tried to get the live beach cams to display on my computer, but no luck.

I can't get across the inlet to take a look, but everything on the west side of the inlet is fine, and Sugar Dunes is on pretty high ground, so I'm pretty sure it fared well. The wind is still "brisk" but the water has subsided, and is now running out of the lake, so it must be low tide.

[lenzoe]

Would love to see any videos of the beach if anyone gets a chance. Pictures are nice too.

[Lake View Too]

Do they mean between 9:00 am and 9:00 pm today?

Methinks these guys are sitting in an air-conditioned room looking at a computer monitor. Eastern Lake was taking in storm surge water two hours ago, and now the lake (still "beer-colored) is going out into the sea. And that's all I'm going to say about that.

[lenzoe]

Methinks these guys are sitting in an air-conditioned room looking at a computer monitor. Eastern Lake was taking in storm surge water two hours ago, and now the lake (still "beer-colored) is going out into the sea. And that's all I'm going to say about that.

:).

I got the impression they were watching too much of the weather channel.

[lenzoe]

Here's another good quote:

Walton County could expect moderate erosion with wave heights between 10 to 14 feet and a storm surge of 3-5 feet.

I figured that had to come straight from Jim Cantore. I did see some palm trees swaying over on the Red Bar cam.

[Teresa]

Methinks these guys are sitting in an air-conditioned room looking at a computer monitor. Eastern Lake was taking in storm surge water two hours ago, and now the lake (still "beer-colored) is going out into the sea. And that's all I'm going to say about that.

There is a lot of erosion going on now. Walton Alert (Sheriff) just posted that due to the erosion, beaches will be closed until further notice.

[Teresa]

The Weather Channel

[Lake View Too]

Currents conditions. No Cantore sightings...

[BeachSiO2]

Low tide should be around 7pm tonight, but it is definitely a falling tide. High tide was around 8am this morning.

[Lake View Too]

There is a lot of erosion going on now. Walton Alert (Sheriff) just posted that due to the erosion, beaches will be closed until further notice.

I have seen some photos of bad erosion on Facebook in some SoWal places. Eastern Lake has fared well, so far.

[kurt]

Kurt, what's the location of this pic? Thanks.

Seagrove Beach

[kurt]

Photos and Video

http://www.sowal.com/video/hurricane...otos-and-video

Please share the link!!!

[Teresa]

Walton Alert from Sheriff's Office

Due to the improvement of storm conditions caused by Tropical Storm Isaac in Northwest Florida, the storm shelter established at Freeport High School will close today. Walton County Superintendent, Carlene Anderson has announced that all Walton County Schools will commence normal operations Wednesday. School busses will resume regular routes. Please continue to exercise caution while commuting.

[Teresa]

Love the photos & video work - thanks Collis and Kurt!



Photos & Video

[PC]

Thanks Kurt for the vid. We are heading to Seacrest 9/7, hopefully there is still some white sand left or the ocean has brought some back in by then.

[Teresa]

EOCTropical Storm Isaac update #10

For Immediate Release
August 28, 2012

As of the 2:00 p.m. briefing of theEmergency Operations Center (EOC), the following will be institutedand effective as of 3 p.m., Tuesday, August 28, 2012:
The Freeport High School shelter willbe closed.

• All evacuation orders for WaltonCounty will be lifted.
• EOC will move from a Level 1 FullActivation status to a Level 2 Partial Activation (essentialpersonnel only). We will remain on Level 2 through Wednesday, August29, 2012.
• The Citizen Information Hotline willbe deactivated as of 5 p.m. Any residents who have further questionscan contact the Walton County Sheriff’s Office at 850-892-8186.

As a result of these actions:

• The Walton County School District willresume normal operations on Wednesday, August 29, 2012.
• All government offices, including theTourist Development Council (TDC) will resume normal business hourson Wednesday, August 29, 2012.
• The beaches (sand, surf, and accesses)will remain closed at this time. We will continue monitoring theconditions and update when changes occur.
• We will continue to monitor theweather, including rain, wind and storm surge, as it relates to thebridges, roads and beaches.
• Any wildlife or marine life that maybe encountered should not be approached, and the appropriateauthorities should be contacted. These include but are not limited to:

Walton County Animal Control (850)892-8682
Turtle Watch (850) 897-5228 or (850)685-6281
Walton County Sheriff’s Office (850)892-8111
Wildlife Alert Hotline (888) 404-FWCC(3922)

[kurt]

Just now in Dune Allen, photos by Lisa Comeau

[ktschris]

Thank you guys for all the info and keeping all of us posted!!! Be safe and we are bracing for some of the rain to finally get here on friday!

[ata]

we've almost got zero rain and today was a mostly sunny day. the forcast yesterday said we were supposed to get killed with rain today.

[30A Skunkape]

Bramble access in Seagrove about one hour ago.

[Rebecca Griffith Goard]

Erosion is happening. Some houses in Dune Allen are in trouble. Imagine a direct hit.

Kurt,

Thanks so much for keeping everyone up to date on what's going on. It is SO much appreciated! We are supposed to return to Blue Mountain in 3 weeks. What's been your experience with storms like this and the conditions of the beaches a few weeks out? I know no one knows until it's over, but will the beaches be "back to normal" in just a few weeks?

Thanks again and PLEASE y'all, stay safe down there!

Rebecca

[lenzoe]

Thanks for all the pictures and videos.

[lenzoe]

Bramble access in Seagrove about one hour ago.

The lower portion of that ramp is covered in sand. Was it like that before, or did Isaac haul in a bunch of sand?

[kurt]

Yikes!

[Beach Runner]

Yikes is right! It's so huge! I heard that Charleston suffered major rain from the outer bands.

[kurt]

Kurt,

Thanks so much for keeping everyone up to date on what's going on. It is SO much appreciated! We are supposed to return to Blue Mountain in 3 weeks. What's been your experience with storms like this and the conditions of the beaches a few weeks out? I know no one knows until it's over, but will the beaches be "back to normal" in just a few weeks?

Thanks again and PLEASE y'all, stay safe down there!

Rebecca

Rebecca you are very welcome! I expect it will be beautiful this weekend. The water will be muddy for a few days after Isaac moves inland. Other than some erosion at the base of the dunes we'll be back to normal in a few days.

The beach will be wide and flat.

You have nothing to worry about from Isaac. However next is Joyce, and then KIRK! Cue a million Star Trek puns.