TheBanyanTree: Category 5

[PJMoney]

It's been terribly muggy lately; just like during the build up.
Everyone has been complaining and declaring that this is unusual for
this time of year. 

Around about 2.30 this afternoon there was an excellent storm.  The
power went out twice, but each time only briefly.  The rain pelted down
torrentially.  I wondered if it was the beginning.  But after an hour or
so it stopped, the little bit of wind that accompanied it died down and
now, at 7.15pm, everything is quite, quite still.

There's just enough light left in the sky to see the silhouettes of the
palms in our back yard.  Nothing is moving out there.

The absolute stillness makes it hard for me to credit that Cyclone
Ingrid is heading, more or less, in our direction.  It's still about
450k away but it is a category 5.  Shouldn't there be some sort of air
movement?  Shouldn't the palm fronds be waving even just a little bit?

I'm wondering when I should think seriously about putting masking tape
on the windows.  By 4am, if it keeps hugging the coast, we should be
getting close to the edge of the gale force winds.  Maybe I'll wait and
see how things are in the morning.

For those of a praying bent, please pray for us that it will stay out at
sea.  We're overdue for a cyclone to hit this town but I'd really rather
not have to go through one now, or ever.