“A lot of science has gone into the hurricane center’s forecasting,” Davis said. In June, the National Hurricane Center began using its new Hurricane Analysis and Forecast System to predict storm activity. Rick Davis, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service’s Tampa Bay office, said that is thanks to much better hurricane technology.
Tampa Bay’s impact from Hurricane Idalia was very close to what forecasters predicted. Instead, their bungalow succumbed to flames after flood waters prevented firefighters from getting there in time. Like most Floridians, Dave and Heather Durst figured flooding was the biggest threat to their Hudson dream home as Hurricane Idalia bore down on Wednesday. Dave Durst, right, and his wife, Heather, survey what remains of their Hudson bungalow.
