R. Reese Fuller

Waiting for Gustav

by R. Reese Fuller

Over the last couple of days, the National Hurricane Center's prediction of when Gustav will make landfall keeps getting pushed back. The NHC's last predicted path, issued at 10 a.m., puts the center of the uncertain cone just east of Vermilion Bay before 8 a.m. on Tuesday. That center has been waffling east and west for the last couple of days, but the NHC has warned against relying on that exact center this early in the game:

Some of the models hint that the high to the north late in the forecast period could force Gustav to turn a little back to the west over the northern Gulf ... But these models are currently in the minority. The new official track forecast does show a slowing of the forward motion as Gustav approaches the northern Gulf coast ... and is nudged just a little to the east to be in line with the consensus. Reliable models remain on either side of the forecast track ... So one should not focus on the exact official track.

Recent info indicates that sustained winds are at 70 mph, and that the tropical storm is creeping along at 5 mph and is expected to crawl westward for the next day.