I didn't see any deer on my walk today (6.7 miles) or new evidence of the destruction caused by last week's Hurricane Helena, but I did see an eastern rat snake (Elaphe obsoleta), about three feet long, attempting to cross the beltline trail. He was about a third of the way across when I saw him but he apparently got spooked by all the noisy, fast-moving simians on the trail and turned back. Once off the trail, he climbed up the nearest tree with surprising ease and speed.
Last Sunday, I noted a broad area of low pressure located over the western Caribbean producing disorganized showers and thunderstorms. Environmental conditions were conducive for gradual development of the system, which is now known as Tropical Storm Milton and located in the southwesttern Gulf of Mexico. The storm is expected to remain more or less in place through tomorrow night, then move across the south-central Gulf on Monday and Tuesday and approach the west coast of Florida by midweek. Maximum sustained winds are near 35 mph with higher gusts and rapid strengthening is forecast during the next few days. The tropical storm is expected to become a hurricane by early Monday and could become a major hurricane as it moves across the Gulf.
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