Recently Jeff Masters noted of Hurricane Daniel--which attained Cat 4 strength over the East Pacific recently--that it was his "favorite type of hurricane--a huge, spectacular Category 4 (almost 5) storm that is no threat to land." Actually, albeit in a weakened state, Daniel may hit Hawaii, so perhaps it's a threat after all. Still, as I contemplate the next storm in the North Atlantic--which will either be named Tropical Storm Chris or Hurricane Chris--I find myself feeling pretty much the same way.
On the one hand, I don't want my namesake hurricane to be totally wimpy. On the other, I certainly don't want it to destroy a city or kill scores of people. So I'll settle for a kickass hurricane that burns itself out at sea after dissipating loads of power and achieving a state of ferocious intensity--fair enough? (Of course, this would also mean that the name "Chris" would not be retired this year, which seems like a good deal to me.)
P.S.: "Hurricane Chris" also makes for a pretty good drinking name.
P.P.S.: There will also be a Hurricane or Tropical Storm Cristobal in 2008, so the fun continues...
An important question then becomes: How much liquid can Hurricane Chris take before passing out over land? Hopefully we don't have to test it in the north Atlantic basin.