Beta Nearing Coast Making Landfall in Texas...

Before I begin my weather discussion, let me thank those of you who have donated to CAPS FOR KIDS.   As September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, Brenda and I have asked for as many of you who can to "Give a High Five" by donating $ 5 (or more) to help Caps For Kids.  More than 15,000 children each year are diagnosed with cancer in the U.S.  A young child losing her/his hair during chemotherapy can be such a painful experience, but getting a cap from their "Cap Hero" eases that pain.

Caps For Kids help create smiles for children with cancer by connecting them with their celebrity hero to autograph their baseball caps to wear during their chemo treatments filling each child with hope & courage & making them feel special.  You can help our cause by clicking on the link below.

     https://capsforkids.kindful.com/?campaign=1030521

Many of you have already contributed and we thank you.   We are still short of our fundraising goal and hope some of you can help us get over the top.

https://youtu.be/xbMxSWlAZlM

All the children thank you too!

It is difficult to find a well defined center of Beta on Satellite views.  In fact, I'm seeing several swirls rotating around the center.

The top pic is the current daylight view with the middle being the water vapor view from noon that showed dry air encircling the storm.  the bottom is the current WV view that has even less storm activity around the center.   NHC has lowered the max winds down to 45 mph and slightly slowed the forward motion now NW at 5 mph.  They still forecast Beta to basically stall once inland and then make the move back to the NE by late Tuesday PM.  

The new center line track has been shifted back southward that could bring Beta's center back over the Gulf Tuesday night & Wednesday.  However, NHC mentions that the cooler, drier air environment surrounding Beta SHOULD keep it from regaining strength.  Radar views have the center 10-15 miles off the coast with much of its circulation already over land.

 The dry air wrapping around Beta has taken its toll.  The northern feeder band has pulled well to the north with a wide area of dry air diminishing the radar returns.  The question for us remains where will the cluster of squalls off the mouth of the River go?   Will they move inland over us?  maybe, but the drier air coming down from the Northeast has lowered the rain totals.

Now the rain prediction is for 1-2" over SE LA/MS with the 3-5" totals remaining off shore.

Our brisk east winds continue to pile water into the marshes resulting in widespread flooding outside the levee protection system.   Conditions will slowly improve as the winds from Beta diminish, but it won't be until the weekend before water levels get back to normal.

I've mentioned in previous posts Hurricane Teddy moving up the east coast would stall a large area of high pressure centered over  Maine.  Dew points in the 40s have plunged down into Georgia with 60s into central Florida and all along the northern Gulf.  That's a vast different atmosphere than for Sally last week and will be why Beta's rain totals will be much lower.

Finally, do you care that NHC is watching an area over south Florida for development?  I didn't think so.  Next update tonight around 10 PM.  I just would like to see the sun again!  Stay tuned!