APALACHICOLA - Lured by the first-ever chance to see two tropical storms hit Florida in less than a day, storm chasers from across the southeast raced to this Panhandle town Thursday, only to see Bonnie dissolve into drizzle.
The tropical storm meteorologists said could reach hurricane strength and soak an already saturated Panhandle splintered into scattered showers by landfall mid Thursday morning.
In Apalachicola, all Shawn Johnson got was partly cloudy skies and slightly elevated high tides. It was hardly the wrenching gusts and widespread flooding he drove from Jacksonville Beach to see.
"I can't say it's a total loss. I learned a lot, like where not to be," said Johnson, a volunteer with Skywarn, a network of weather spotters who report developing storms to the National Weather Service.
Bonnie failed to produce major flooding or even heavy rains, though stronger squalls were reported near the Big Bend area. Bonnie's remnants picked up speed and moved across the northern part of the state. It spun off tornadoes, including at least six in Jacksonville that ripped off roofs and downed trees and billboards.
Still, schools remained closed for the rest of the week in much of the Panhandle in case Hurricane Charley brings more rain.
Johnson, whose car sports a yellow flashing bar and anemometer, as well as digital computer capability, plans to head to Cedar Key, where he predicts Hurricane Charley will land today.
"I love the storms," said Johnson, who said he has been struck twice by lightning, once while filming a storm.
While Apalachicola was relatively calm, the few tourists who didn't leave neighboring St. George Island woke Thursday to a storm band that brought brief but heavy rain, wind gusts of about 40 mph and waves reaching 6 feet.
For Mississippians David and Viva Austin and three friends, Bonnie added a sense of adventure to a vacation marked by little sun.
"We're enjoying it, actually. This kind of made it exciting," said Viva. "David said he had never even heard of St. George Island until we decided to take a vacation here, and now it's national news."
The group pulled all the patio chairs inside and planned a low-key hurricane party of breakfast, beer and board games.
"Until they tell us to leave, we plan to stay," said David Austin.
At the other end of St. George Island, Atlanta storm chasers Ken McKinnon and David McLaughlin huddled under a picnic shelter and watched the waves. Like Johnson, they planned to plant themselves in Charley's path.
National Hurricane Center
