Ike Weakens, Turns Away from Keys
Charter yacht and marina owners in the Florida Keys are breathing a sigh of relief this morning, since Hurricane Ike has taken an unexpected turn that will shift its course away from the popular charter grounds and out into the Gulf of Mexico.
As you can see in the graphic above (the most recent projection from the U.S. National Hurricane Center), the storm will only graze the westernmost section of the Keys and Dry Tortugas, where there will be tropical storm-force winds as opposed to hurricane-force gales. The upshot is that the marina infrastructure should remain undamaged as the winter charter season approaches.
The report from about 45 minutes ago says Ike has weakened to a category 1 storm and should be entering the Gulf waters in the next 12 hours or so. There is a chance of isolated tornadoes and water spouts in the Keys until then, but here’s hoping that it’s an uneventful (if rainy) afternoon in Southern Florida–and that we can all take a break from worrying about these storms for a while in the popular winter charter grounds.