Florida Sea Base News

Clear skies and generally pleasant conditions (still a bit breezy) have returned to the Florida Sea Base.  The forecast from the National Weather Service:

Friday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 78. Breezy, with a north wind between 15 and 20 mph.
Friday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 69. North wind around 15 mph.
Saturday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 79. Breezy, with a north wind between 15 and 20 mph.
Saturday Night: A slight chance of showers. Partly cloudy, with a low around 71. North wind around 15 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%.
Sunday: A slight chance of showers. Mostly sunny, with a high near 81. Chance of precipitation is 20%.
Sunday Night: A slight chance of showers. Partly cloudy, with a low around 72. Chance of precipitation is 20%.
Monday: A slight chance of showers. Mostly sunny, with a high near 82. Chance of precipitation is 20%.
Monday Night: A slight chance of showers. Partly cloudy, with a low around 73. Chance of precipitation is 20%.
Tuesday: A slight chance of showers. Mostly sunny, with a high near 83. Chance of precipitation is 20%.
Tuesday Night: A slight chance of showers. Partly cloudy, with a low around 75. Chance of precipitation is 20%.
Wednesday: A slight chance of showers. Mostly sunny, with a high near 84. Chance of precipitation is 20%.
Wednesday Night: A slight chance of showers. Partly cloudy, with a low around 75. Chance of precipitation is 20%.
Thursday: A slight chance of showers. Mostly sunny, with a high near 84. Chance of precipitation is 20%.

However, as is common this time of year, there is a new system brewing in the  Western Caribbean.  Dr. Masters reported:

A Western Caribbean disturbance worth watching
A large area of disturbed weather in the Western Caribbean is bringing heavy rains to coastal Nicaragua and Honduras. The heavy thunderstorms are in an area of weak steering currents, and will move little over the next two days. Wind shear is a high 20 – 30 knots in the region, but is expected to drop to the moderate range on Friday, and remain moderate through the weekend. This should allow some slow development of the disturbance, and the GFS, UKMET, and NOGAPS models all develop the disturbance into a tropical depression by Monday. The most likely areas to be affected by this hypothetical storm are Honduras and Nicaragua, but we can’t rule out a scenario where the storm moves northwards and threatens Cuba late next week, as the UKMET model is predicting. NHC gave the disturbance a 10% chance of developing into a tropical depression by Sunday in their 8 am Tropical Weather Outlook.

Click to enlarge.

I have received no news from yesterday’s Team Meeting except a reminder that I wasn’t there.  Therefore, I am operating under the “no news is good news” clause until I get some news to the contrary.

Approximately $59k of scuba equipment for the 2012 Florida Sea Base scuba participants has arrived.  Laura Kuras sent me a text yesterday asking for suggestions on where we can store 300 pairs of new fins (in addition to the 500 or so pairs we already have). A lack of space is one of our serious challenges; space for storage, space for seasonal staff housing, space for parking, space for dockage, and space for permanent staff housing.  General Manager Captain Paul Beal has agreed to rent a “POD” or two if necessary for program supply storage.

Have a great weekend.

Capt. Steve Willis
Live from the Mother Country