County braces for Ivan’s fury: Tropical storm expected to bring heavy rain
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Meteorologist David Matson from the National Weather Service projected Ivan would pack 20 to 40 mph wind gusts and five or more inches of rain when it arrives. The storm also had the potential to spawn thunderstorm tornadoes.
Ivan’s arrival in Warren County came about 24 hours after its eye wall crashed into Gulf Shores-Orange Beach areas of Alabama, packing 135 mph winds as a Category Three hurricane. Ivan continued cutting a swath through Alabama as it moved northward Thursday, spawning tornadoes in Alabama, Georgia and Florida.
In the meantime, Warren County was drenched with rain most of Thursday, caused by the advance bands from the circular storm. The advance rain, along with expected downpours today, have sparked concerns of flooding.
While Ivan was expected to be tropical storm strength when it hit this morning, it was far below Category Three severity. Meteorologists say a hurricane has never crossed any Tennessee border since records have been kept, as the storms diminish below hurricane force while crossing land en route to Tennessee.
However, the remnants of hurricanes have been felt in the Volunteer State on many occasions, mainly due to flooding or tornadoes.
According to Matson, the worst of Ivan in Warren County should be seen by midday Friday as the storm pushes north and east.
“The storm will be gradually weakening,” Matson said. “The brunt should pretty well be through by Friday with the rest of the weekend improving for even some sunshine on Saturday. We should be looking at a partly cloudy day on Sunday.”
With Ivan passing today, eyes will again return south to the newest threat, Hurricane Jeanne which blew through Puerto Rico Thursday. It is being tracked to perhaps hit eastern Florida in the near future.
Hurricane names are alternated through the alphabet, with Ivan “I” being followed by Jeanne “J.” The genders of the names are also alternated, with each storm, once it establishes hurricane strength, given a name. Meteorologists began using both male and female names in 1979.
The World Meteorological Organization uses six lists of names in rotation and the lists are re-used every six years. A name is retired if it causes substantial damage and/or loss of life like Hurricane Andrew or Hugo. The names used can include English, French and Spanish names.
The storms between Charley and Ivan included hurricanes Danielle, Earl, Frances, Gaston, and Hermine. The next hurricane after Jeanne, if one spawns this year, will be named Karl.