So it looks like Harvey will become a hurricane and won't make landfall over us. We'll get the wet side. Which is arguably worse. Since it's not expected to be too strong (cat 1, maybe cat 2), the winds won't be that big a deal. It's the rain that will have the most effect. The oncoming front will contribute to weak steering currents and there's a good chance he'll move slowly or just plain stall out like Allison did.
Basically, expect moderate winds but significant rain and flooding. I'm not worried about a power outage, but I'm in a relatively new subdivision with underground power distribution lines.
Edit: as of 1100 CDT Thu 24 Aug, it looks like it's undergone significant rapid intensification. There are no major factors preventing growth before it reaches land. There's a decent chance it will come ashore as a cat 3. Models are still showing that it will dally a bit after landfall and might go back out to the gulf to get stronger after that. Get ready for flooding.
Edit: as of 1600 CDT 24 Aug, it is continuing to strengthen. Still expected to come ashore near rockport as a strong cat 2 or cat 3, then hang around. The GFS seems to have it meandering around up the coast to hang out over Houston by Tuesday. So yeah it's going to be raining cats and dogs for four days.
Edit: as of 0700 CDT 25 Aug, not much has changed. Previous predictions are still being predicted, with a little more certainty. The bands are just starting to hit the Houston area.
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[–] glassuser [S] 0 points 1 point 1 point (+1|-0) ago
Yeah that's fairly new. It's gone under significant rapid intensification.