This weekend the southeastern corner of the United States is holding its breath for approaching Hurricane Irma.  One of the strongest hurricanes ever has forced millions of Floridans to leave their homes and travel north, or at least once again pull out the metal shields for doors and windows, secure anything that could fly away in 150 mph (65 m/s) wind, and hope for the best.

I was supposed to be cave diving in Florida next week but obviously Irma changed those plans too. Nobody knows how catastrophic the winds will eventually be, and I sure do not want to be on the road when weather gets seriously bad. Hopefully the cave diving happens sooner than later though.

However, it looks like even Tennessee is going to get its share of Irma’s fierce love. According to the latest hurricane tracker, we will see winds and rain here on Wednesday/Thursday. Probably time to tie down the yard furniture once again although winds are not going to exceed 30 mph (~15 m/s). While there are no hurricanes in the inland, tornadoes do pose a real risk occasionally as a consequence of a hurricane, or they can spawn on their own when the warm and cold fronts converge.

So far the weather is gorgeous here on the rolling hills of Tennessee. Horses are enjoying the green pastures, gentle wind is bringing a nice, welcoming breeze, and sun is shining. I am going to enjoy my day by heading out for a run, and taking care of grocery shopping – I thought I would be in Florida next week, so edible items in the refrigerator are kinda decreasing as time goes by. But regardless, my thoughts are with people who have already being hit by Irma, and the ones who still bracing for the impact.

Stay safe – wherever you are!

Hurricane tracker information from CNN.