Ike's threat to South Florida diminishes, but Keys still in danger

The Sun-Sentinel‘s Ken Kaye writes:

There’s no question Hurricane Ike’s threat to South Florida is easing. The projected path continues to shift farther south, putting Cuba more at peril than this region. … [However,] [b]ecause it is a strong hurricane to our southeast (and because most of this area remains in that darn cone of uncertainty) – it would be wise to check the storm’s position occasionally through the weekend.

In the Florida Keys, meanwhile, it remains wise to not merely watch Ike, but to flee Ike, just in case. A slight “wobble” — or a “bounce” off Cuba — could still be disastrous for those ultra-vulnerable islands, and by the time such a thing would occur, it would be too late to evacuate. Better safe than sorry: get out now. Alan Sullivan writes:

The big question for tomorrow is whether Ike will hit the island or rebound to the right and stay just offshore. Each hour on its present [west-southwesterly] course diminishes the danger to my location in Dania Beach, Florida, just south of Fort Lauderdale; however, risk remains for the Keys, and especially for Key West. I must repeat my earlier admonition to citizens of the Conch Republic: take no chances with Ike. This is not some piddly tropical storm like Fay. If Ike misses Cuba, it will probably spin up to category three or four in the Florida Straits. You do not want to be in Key West during a category four hurricane! Your chances of survival would not be good.

Meanwhile, Hanna continues to dump rain on the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast. Here’s a live radar loop from the NWS: