>>well, either i'm smoking grass or the tampa met is because it is my understanding of the bermuda high (pardon the pun) is that it affects atlantic storms, particularly CV long trackers, but not GOM storms....i don't believe it has much, if any, influence on gulf storms.

You're smoking the grass - not saying I blame you or anything. The position of the Bermuda High/SW Atlantic Ridge plays a part in all storms that travel its periphery or approach its sphere of influence. Often that ridge is deep into the SE US, other times it's out to sea It just depends on where it's at and what its strength is. My guess would be the western periphery will be across the Florida peninsula, and belief that it's going to build in and accelerate TD #! in a NNW-NW motion around it's western side. How strong the ridging is and how far west it comes will determine if we have a WFL landfall or an AL/MS landfall.

Steve