Don't forget the most important thing....do NOT focus on the LINE...look at the entire storm. Remember, Charley was supposed to hit Tampa Bay, but turned at the last minute. You are in the cone, I am in the cone. As long as you are in that "cone", you need to be paying close attention and getting prepared. If the tropical storm force winds have extended out from 70 nautical miles to 120? 125? miles, then that is a sign this storm is growing and I would expect it to continue to grow, especially if it does not interact with land as it makes its trek through the Western Caribbean and the Yucatan then into the Gulf of Mexico.
Plus, the Mayor of N.O. is telling people to prepare to evacuate at a moment's notice. That means it *probably* won't be heading that way. For their sake, I hope that's correct. For our sake, well...