Cindi,

I will try to address your concerns from the post you placed earlier. There is a very strong high pressure ridge that has settled over us in the FL Panhandle. This, along with other factors, is protecting us from Rita (like a "bubble" over us), pushing the storm west. The high has the potential to weaken and move east over the next couple of days and that is what should cause the storm to turn north and head toward TX. But by then the storm will be well to the west of the FL Panhandle. There is a front dropping from the NE that could influence the path but it is weak and will probably not have too much influence on it. The front is probably not strong enough to force is back to the extreme NE- our direction. I believe the most the front could do is push it into LA or perhaps extreme sw Mississippi, but it is unlikely that will even happen. I think we can breathe a sigh of relief for ourselves. Just pray for the people to the west of us- they need it again!