The wind radius was always really small - it's just that the focus for a potential landfall point has always been so large due to the track Charley took. Charlie's a storm like Andrew - very small, but cutting a path like no other through where the eyewall goes.

Latest obs at OIA on the SE side of Orlando have sustained winds just under tropical storm force. My parents live on the SW side of Orlando and are feeling the effects as we speak. Transformers just blew a few miles south of downtown and power will likely go out to the majority of Orlando in the not-so-distant future. Winds are still way up there and any microburst is going to bring down 80+ kt winds - as recorded from the Melbourne radar - to the surface and wreak havoc.

South Orange/North Osceola Cos. have been under tornado warnings three separate times for four tornadoes today, and the threat of tornadoes remains throughout the evening. The center is about to cross into Osceola Co. and pass very near or over Disney. Orlando looks in line for a direct hit. Though it's dark, Orlandoweather.com has live cameras from downtown Orlando and north of Orlando at the Ch. 2 studios...there may be some interesting photos in the next couple of hours.

From there, Daytona Beach looks to be under the gun. This storm has very nearly followed US 17 up the state and I imagine a drive down that road will be very, very telling in the weeks and months to come. The islands - Sanibel, Captiva - may be uninhabitable for the foreseeable future. Many, many people were spared this evening, but many others have seen their lives affected permanently. I can only hope that my parents and all of my friends in Orlando can make it through the storm relatively unprepared and ultimately undamaged.

If you're reading this from the Orlando area, get offline and turn off the electricity to all non-essential items. It's the smart thing to do and can help save your property in the long run. This is a very serious and dangerous situation, and I cannot emphasize that enough.