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Tropical Storm Bonnie Diverts More Tourists from Gulf Coast

A month ago when Hurricane Alex steered his way toward Cancun, we were thankful that the sour weather was pointing away from the BP oil spill on the Gulf Coast. It looks like that luck is up however, as Tropical Storm Bonnie heads right towards the problem area this weekend.

Already cruise ships based out of Miami are re-charting course to avoid the high winds and waves. That means missed ports everywhere from the Bahamas to Key West.

Meanwhile on Florida's beaches, from which many tourists have already fled for the season, preparations are being made for the coming onslaught of tumultuous weather. Booms protecting marshes and areas sensitive to the oil spill are being removed and if you thought the Gulf Coast was empty of visitors in the previous weeks, just wait until these next few days.

[Image: Weather Channel]

Travel Storms / Celeb Travel / Bahamas Travel / Tropical Storms / Weather / Travel News / → All Tags

Tropical Storm Danny is Forming; Just Misses The Chance to Wipe Out Speidi

Summer storms are really getting around this summer, as another one—Tropical Storm Danny—forms just off of the Bahamas and primes to sweep up the eastern seaboard. Heidi and Spencer, who seem to be perpetually on vacation, unfortunately just missed being affected by the storm, as they splashed on the beach at The Atlantis Nassau around Heidi's lip-synching performance for the Miss Universe pageant.

Danny, which reminds us more of a booger-eating kindergartner than a furiously brewing storm (how about more named like 'Cristobal?'), might have laid off the Bahamas but he will spend this weekend wreaking havoc on the plans of beachgoers along the coast from South Carolina all the way up to Maine.

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Hurricanes / Tropical Storms / Caribbean Travel / Outer Banks / → All Tags

Hurricane Bill Huffs And Puffs, But Doesn't Blow Much Down

We were finishing off some time on the Outer Banks of North Carolina when Hurricane Bill decided to blow by the beaches these last few days. Although it definitely stirred things up and limited our sun intake over the weekend, we didn’t see any direct damage overall. However, we did notice some lifeguards downing a couple cheeseburgers now that the no swimming flags were doing their jobs for them.

A trip into the waves on Thursday evening off Cape Hatteras resulted in an immediate face plant into the sand. Friday brought out the riptide warnings and the surfers, and by Saturday we knew better than to venture out into the water. We didn't have our tape measures with us, but we'd say the waves approached ten feet. Instead we spent most of the afternoon on the land, perusing shops perfectly suited for grandparents.

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Hurricanes / Tropical Storms / Hawaii Travel / Water Sports / Surfing / → All Tags

A Serious Storm Is A-Brewin' Off The Hawaiian Islands

If you’re hanging out in Hawaii this week, please make sure your tropical umbrella drink is securely placed in a cup holder. Paradise is going to be a little stormy over the next few days as Tropical Storm Felicia nears the Aloha State. The storm was hurricane strength over the weekend, but it has slowly lost its mojo. Still, a tropical storm is serious, so visitors should still be cautious heading out into the surf and keep watch for rip currents.

Despite some beaches being closed on the Big Island, we’re thinking that passionate surfers aren’t going to heed these warnings. After all, the bigger the storm, the bigger the waves.

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Tropical Storms / Hurricanes / Kite Surfing / Videos / → All Tags

Adventures of Link: So Extreme, Bro!

Attention extreme sports enthusiats: Kite surfing is not one of the things the National Hurricane Center considers "Preparations to protect life and property."

A guy in Fort Lauderdale had to find that out the hard way after he was snatched up by a wind gust, slammed to the ground, dragged over a busy highway and thrown into a wall. He's in critical condition at a local hospital, though he did manage to survive the ordeal. Uh... congrats?

Related Stories:
· Caught On Tape: Wind Blows Kite Surfer Into Building [WFOR]
· Kite Surfer Injury: Blame the Media? [Sun Sentinel]
· Fort Lauderdale Kite Surfing School [Official Site]
· Catching a Wave--with a Kite [Jaunted]

Hurricanes / Travel Storms / Tropical Storms / → All Tags

Adventures of Link: Tropical Storm Fay Hits Florida

Tropical Storm Fay may be dealing out sub-hurricane-force winds, but she's pounding the hell out of Key West all the same. And forecasters say there's a good possibility that the storm will be even stronger by the time it hits Naples and the rest of Southwest Florida sometime soon.

Airports in the Keys are currently closed, and multiple airlines are waiving ticket change fees for passengers headed to the region. Meanwhile the National Hurricane Center suggests that:

Preparations to protect life and property should be rushed to completion.

Related Stories:
· Tropical Storm Fay Public Advisory [NHC]
· Tropical Storm Fay Soaking the Florida Keys [TWC]
· Tropical Storm Hits Key West [CNN]
· Airlines Eye Tropical Storm Fay's Path [WSJ]
· Tropical Storm Fay Eyes Hurricane Status, Hopes To Ruin Your Vacation [Jaunted]

[Photo of a bottled water aisle in Florida: ELNumeroJuan]