I Don't Trust Ike

Being a weather freak and the operator of a small school involving an outdoor swimming pool, I keep my eye on the weather. I spend hours here at the computer watching these giant rain balls spinning around the Caribbean, and afternoon storms brewing, trying to figure out how many of our classes we will be able to provide on any given day in the rainy or hurricane season. So far we have not had any hurricane scares here in the Yucatán.

As I write this, Hurricane Ike is pounding Cuba. The predictions so far have been that this storm is going to turn northwest and head straight to New Orleans. So far Ike has barreled due west, slowing down a little to whack things in its path, like islands, buildings, boats, and people and then flaring up again. Yesterday I felt that Ike was not headed northwest, but it looked like he wanted to keep on truckin' west. Today he is still truckin' west. He crossed Cuba and is now in the warmest part of the Caribbean Sea. I understand that the meteorologists have much more information about the conditions in the upper atmosphere blah blah blah....but they admit they cannot actually predict exactly what any of these hurricanes will do. I have a sinking feeling that Ike does not want to go northwest. Only once before did a storm on Ike's current path pass through the Yucatán, with Hurricane Hilda in 1955. And I could only find that on one of the weather sites' statistics. I am left a little confused. Did a drug cartel in Cancún pay off the meteorologists to just pretend we are in no danger, so as to avoid a negative impact on tourism? The recent rolling headless bodies have done tourism some harm and perhaps "they" just don't want any more trouble.

The 2pm report today still insists this storm is going to head northwest....now on the south side of Cuba instead of the north side.....and head straight to New Orleans. Nothing like traumatizing the residents of New Orleans before necessary. Wow, we all know they f***ed up with Katrina, and need to try to make things right with the folks there, but is this the way?

What has me concerned is that "they" (whoever they are) are so convinced that Ike is heading to New Orleans that they have not even mentioned a WATCH to us, let alone a warning. The western tip of Cuba is not that far from the east coast of the Yucatán. My map shows this giant ball rolling its way due west and heading straight into the satellite shot of the Yucatán. I for one am going to keep my eyes open and believe what mother nature dictates, and not the CNN reporters who are happily blowing away in the wind in the eyes of the storms.