I've just taken a look at the Mobile, AL National Weather Service radar. I don't believe there's any other remote sensor that gives you this much of a feel for what's going on.
On the shoreline, bands of heavy squalls, yellows and oranges on the radar display, are dropping torrential rains. It's the kind of rain that flows over the sides of rain gutters - except this rain is being blown horizontally.
Out in the Gulf of Mexico the eye is easily scene. It was more circular earlier. Now it has opened a little. Looking back at the last 10 images covering an hour, its rotation is obvious.
The Doppler display of winds shows an "S" shaped pattern with solid green and red bands adjacent to each other. Green shows winds moving toward the radar, red is moving away.
I've seen a few TV reporters on the air from Mobile. I hope they get out of harm's way, but I continue to worry which storm will be the one where someone will be killed on live TV as they're hit by debris or overtaken by the strong winds.
For people along the Gulf Coast, tonight will be the scariest night of the life.
