Hurricane Irene

[Allenson]

OK, East Coasters and fellow New Englanders, heads up for a pretty powerful storm later this week and over the weekend.

See attached for the latest storm track forecast from the National Hurricane Center (http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/)as well as forecasted rainfall totals (in inches) from the Hydrologic Prediction Center (http://www.hpc.ncep.noaa.gov/).

This could be a real corker and something we haven't seen here in the hill country of New England since Hurricane Floyd back in September of 1999.

Discuss if so inclined. :thumbs up

[The Lawspeaker]

When will it make landfall ? And where ?

[Odoacer]

At this point they're predicting landfall will be in Connecticut or Rhode Island on Sunday night into Monday morning.

[mvbeleg]

When will it make landfall ? And where ?

http://www.weather.com/weather/hurricanecentral/tracker

[Graham]

Didn't your East Coast just have a decent sized earthquake?(we never get the fun here :P). The hurricane was on the news here too. Must be a big yin, so stay safe folks.

[Damião de Góis]

Strange to see the northeast getting hit by a tropical storm...

[Loki]

Strange to see the northeast getting hit by a tropical storm...

That's actually not that uncommon, but by the time the remnants of tropical storms get there, they're usually weak enough not to cause much damage. This one, however, seems to want to make landfall as a category 3.

[Graham]

That's actually not that uncommon, but by the time the remnants of tropical storms get there, they're usually weak enough not to cause much damage. This one, however, seems to want to make landfall as a category 3.

Yes. Then it goes east over the atlantic and we'll get gale force winds and a flock of seagulls. yipeeeee!

[GeistFaust]

I am quite interested in the study of meterology so perhaps I can fill this thread in with much needed information. As of now the latest computer model runs have shifted west and this is the general agreement they are coming to reach. The shortwave which was supposed to turn Irene up to the NNE and NE is racing accross the Ohio and Pennsylvania region producing tornadoes and severe thunderstorms.


This trough is oriented in such a way where it should steer Irene to the NNE at a certain point but usually the trough during this time of the year is not nearly as strong enough or prolonged in its effects to influence a hurricane like Irene greatly. The high ridge over in Bermuda seems to be very strong as well as stretching itself further west while the high ridge to the west of Irene in Texas has weakened and subsided as the trough has moved in. Right now the National Hurricane Center is predicting this storm to max out at 135 MPH winds but it could get up to 145 MPH since the water temperatures are very warm in the Bahamas and also it will be travelling the Gulf Stream for quite some time.


It should be able to maintain Category 2 or 3 strength as it goes by the Outer Banks and even weak Category 2 and Category 1 strength as it pushes into the northeast due to warmer than average water temperatures. Right now it seems like it will be a battle between the trough and the Ridge of High pressure. I think that the friction between the trough and Ridge of High Pressure will cause Irene to accerlerate swiftly up to the northeast coast. It also seems like the trough will stall and weaken as it approaches the coastline while the high though receding eastward will stubbornly erode and fade.

[Odoacer]

Didn't your East Coast just have a decent sized earthquake?(we never get the fun here :P).

Yes; I live only 30 miles or so from the epicenter. We've had 5 afterschocks so far. I sent a report to the USGS via their website about the most recent one at 1:07AM this morning. It turns out it was a magnitude 4.5 - which in itself is one of the largest earthquakes in Virginia history. Not such a big deal to me since I grew up in California, but rumbling earth is always a little worrisome.

I still don't have much experience with hurricanes, however, but I did warn a friend not to go to Hilton Head, SC, this weekend. :p

[SwordoftheVistula]

Didn't your East Coast just have a decent sized earthquake?

Not very big at all. I work in the major city nearest to it (Washington DC), and the ground just shook for 5 seconds, and then life moved on. At least for me. I work on an old house that is on the verge of collapse, and it came through just fine. All the government and related workers panicked, all fled home right after the quake, clogged the transit systems, etc. We are becoming a nation of pansies.

[GeistFaust]

This morning it looks like the storm has weakened a bit due to an eye wall replacement. It still has a chance to get its act together but dry air to the West and Southwest as well as shear further to its north but hamper this. It is a massive storm with a very large windfield and so far its pressure has not been matched by the wind speeds of the storm.

I expect this to go no stronger than a 125-135 MPH storm at best. The waters surrounding this system are still very warm and the gulf stream will be another source for possive intensification. Other than that Irene continues generally on a NW direction and should begin to make a more NNW early this afternoon and into this evening. It looks like places around North Carolina and the Outer Banks will receive the full brunt of this storm with places further north probably only having to deal with a Cat 1 or Weak Cat 2.

That said the wind field will continue to increase in size and this means we will see widespread wind damage from North Carolina all the way up to Maine most likely. Its seems like we place a great deal of confidence in the projected track and the predicted intensity of this storm according to the National Hurricane Center.

[Allenson]

Strange to see the northeast getting hit by a tropical storm...

We get a good tropical system here in New England every few years or so. A direct hit from a hurricane, maybe once every ten. Here's a good list:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_New_England_hurricanes

See attached for the latest track prediction map. Right up the poop-chute here in the Connecticut River valley! :eek:

[Allenson]

Yes. Then it goes east over the atlantic and we'll get gale force winds and a flock of seagulls. yipeeeee!

You're absolutely right. Our weather here in the northeastern US is your weather 4-7 days later, though altered by then certainly. But, be on the watch next week for some winds and rains coming off the Atlantic in your neck of the woods. Nothing uncommon for you folks though. :p

[Grumpy Cat]

I'm not scared. I'll just be sure to take a good shower before it hits because last year after hurricane Earl I had no water for 5 days and I smelled pretty bad. :lol:

And hurricanes in Canada's Maritimes are quite common, mores than New England because we're further east (hurricanes typically follow a C pattern) though the last time we had one this strong was in 2003.

[Graham]

I'm not scared. I'll just be sure to take a good shower before it hits because last year after hurricane Earl I had no water for 5 days and I smelled pretty bad. :lol:

.
Could've went out with some shower gel when the hurricane storm was on. You'd look abit mental and weird, but still very clean.

[Grumpy Cat]

Could've went out with some shower gel when the hurricane storm was on. You'd look abit mental and weird, but still very clean.

Actually my friend got married during Earl. They decided not to call off the wedding. It was kind of romantic, the church was candle lit. Anyways I was a bridesmaid so I couldn't go out.

Then they decided to do the ceremony the next day again because the groom's brother's flight had been delayed. I had to dress up again so that night I didn't sleep so that my hair wouldn't get messed up.

[Graham]

I'm wandering what kind of Economic damage hurricane Irene will do, on an already fragile market. A direct hit on NYC wouldn't look good.

[Grumpy Cat]

I'm wandering what kind of Economic damage hurricane Irene will do, on an already fragile market. A direct hit on NYC wouldn't look good.

A category 3 hurricane is still not strong enough to do significant damage. The worst that would happen is a power outage and the NYSE probably has a generator that lasts at least 24 hours.

Hurricane Katrina was a category 5. That and hurricanes in the Gulf have more of an economic impact because the oil platforms have to shut down, and could get damaged.

Irene will be an inconvenience at it's worst.

[Grumpy Cat]

I should have added: it's more worth it to worry about historical buildings in New York and Central Park if there was a direct hit. A hurricane of the same strength destroyed a lot of historical property and parks in Halifax in 2003. It was really sad.

[Piparskeggr]

We get a good tropical system here in New England every few years or so. A direct hit from a hurricane, maybe once every ten. Here's a good list:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_New_England_hurricanes

See attached for the latest track prediction map. Right up the poop-chute here in the Connecticut River valley! :eek:

Well damn, my hometown is right along the west bank of the Connecticut at the confluence with the Westfield; they had some pretty bad damage during the tornadoes on 2 June. My home from infancy to the end of 1st grade was badly damaged, as was my mom's maternal grandparents' home. One of our cousins lost some shingles (he lives within a block of both of the two others).

[GeistFaust]

Right now it seems like the storm is going into a strengthening phase. The Upper Level Low which was producing shear to its Northwest has started to weaken and move out of the area. It also seems that Irene has the possibility to strengthen over the next 24 hours to a Cat 4 due to the Gulf Stream which it will ride up as it approaches North Carolina. The latest computer models are generally in consensus with each other and they have shifted westward slightly. This takes the storm west out of the outer banks which probably spare the Northeast coast from a strong storm.

It will though be a heavy rain maker and most likely will still have the capacity to produce heavy wind damage just it will not be able to maintain its strength like once previous thought as it approached areas like New York and Boston.

This said I have a feeling that this storm still might take a slight eastward track causing it to slide over the outer banks and up into the Delmarva Penisula and Southern New Jersey as a strong Cat 1 or weak Cat 2. The storm has grown massive in size and now looks to have Floyd like characteristics and qualities to its structure. This could definitely be a historical storm producing extreme damage over a very large area.


I am predicting 120-130 MPH winds for the North Carolina coast including the Outer Banks with Virginia up to D.C. experiencing 100-110 MPH winds. Points north of this from New York City to Maine should experiencing winds from 75-100 MPH according to the latest graphs. Also the trough seems to have weakened as expected when it approached the coast and it seems that it will have little influence on the storm's movement.

I would advise everyone in mandatory evacuation zones to get out immediately this is a very dangerous storm that will cause great destruction over a wide area. We are expecting Storm Surge to reach 10-12 feet in some areas of North Carolina and even 8-10 Ft up the Virginia, Delaware, and New Jersey Coast. Here are some maps to illustrate my points. The Hurricane Hunters are reporting a central pressure of 946 MB and this is not even near the center of the storm.


Time: 23:05:00Z
Coordinates: 27.45N 77.2667W
Acft. Static Air Press: 696.6 mb (~ 20.57 inHg)
Acft. Geopotential Hgt: 2,680 meters (~ 8,793 feet)
Extrap. Sfc. Press: 946.4 mb (~ 27.95 inHg)
D-value: -
Flt. Lvl. Wind (30s): From 189° at 22 knots (From the S at ~ 25.3 mph)
Air Temp: 15.8°C (~ 60.4°F)
Dew Pt: 5.5°C (~ 41.9°F)
Peak (10s) Flt. Lvl. Wind: 25 knots (~ 28.7 mph)
SFMR Peak (10s) Sfc. Wind: 33 knots (~ 37.9 mph)
SFMR Rain Rate: 0 mm/hr (~ 0 in/hr


Newest Data:
23:06:30Z 27.467N 77.350W 695.9 mb
(~ 20.55 inHg) 2,678 meters
(~ 8,786 feet) 944.5 mb
(~ 27.89 inHg) - From 21° at 4 knots
(From the NNE at ~ 4.6 mph) 16.5°C
(~ 61.7°F) 6.3°C
(~ 43.3°F) 7 knots
(~ 8.0 mph) 23 knots*
(~ 26.4 mph*)


PS: An added note the millobars of a storm is usually representative of the storm's strength in terms of winds. In Irene's case this is not so her millobars are a little higher on average proportional to her winds. This is due to the pressure of the storm resulting rather in the windfield of the storm being broadened instead of the actual strength of the storm increasing although this may happen.

[GeistFaust]

Here are some good sites to monitor the storm.
http://www.wunderground.com/
http://www.accuweather.com/blogs/news/story/54098/irenes-us-strikes-nc-outer-ban.asp?partner=accuweather
http://www.weather.com/
Good sites for models
http://euler.atmos.colostate.edu/~vigh/guidance/
http://moe.met.fsu.edu/tcgengifs/

[GeistFaust]

Dang it I reposted sorry about that.

[Smaland]

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/38/1938_New_England_hurricane_track.png/800px-1938_New_England_hurricane_track.png
Track of the storm (10-22 September 1938).


The New England Hurricane of 1938 (or Great New England Hurricane or Long Island Express or simply The Great Hurricane of 1938) was the first major hurricane to strike New England since 1869. The storm formed near the coast of Africa in September of the 1938 Atlantic hurricane season, becoming a Category 5 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale before making landfall as a Category 3 hurricane on Long Island on September 21. The hurricane was estimated to have killed between 682 and 800 people, damaged or destroyed over 57,000 homes, and caused property losses estimated at US$306 million ($4.77 billion in 2011). Even as late as 1951, damaged trees and buildings were still seen in the affected areas. To date it remains the most powerful, costliest and deadliest hurricane in New England history.

Full Wikipedia article (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_New_England_Hurricane)

[GeistFaust]

There are other storms that people are trying to compare this storm to such as Fran, Floyd, Gloria, the Great Hurricane of 1821, and a few others its too early to know for sure but it is fun to speculate.

[Smaland]

Stormpulse (http://www.stormpulse.com/)

[Scrapple]

It seems to have tracked more Westerly from the latest from NOAA, I live in Philadelphia so this should be interesting.

The NJ Governor has implemented mandatory evacuations for Long Beach Island, Cape May and Atlantic Counties.
http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2011/08/evacuation_orders_issued_for_c.html

Good move.

[Piparskeggr]

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/38/1938_New_England_hurricane_track.png/800px-1938_New_England_hurricane_track.png
Track of the storm (10-22 September 1938).

Full Wikipedia article (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_New_England_Hurricane)

Heck, folks around who I grew up still referred to the (called by some) Pilgrim Hurricane of 1635 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Colonial_Hurricane_of_1635)...in the aftermath, folks who had settled on the west side of the Connecticut moved to higher ground on the east side, founding Springfield, MA in 1636.

[Great Dane]

Does this mean the Obamas vaction on Martha's Vineyard will be cut short?

[GeistFaust]

There are really no drastic changes regarding Irene as of now. It seems like she has made a few wobbles to the NNE but overall this should not effect her track much unless she continues to do so. It seems like the models are in fairly good agreement over where she will move is just west or over the Outer Banks and than up the coast possibly clipping New York City as a Strong Category 1. She will than precede to move up to Rhode Island and Massachusetts possibly weakening to a Strong Tropical Storm.

The problem with this storm seems to be its massive windfield which is expanding. The pressure drop of Irene has not correlated to increased actual strength but an increased spread of higher winds over a wider area. The current Millobars of Irene is down to 942 which is extremely high given her wind speeds which are at 115 MPH. She is moving North at 14 MPH and it seems like she is still trying to strengthen which is possible due to the warmer waters she will move in including the area around the Gulf Stream.

The ULL to her southwest is not causing too many problems anymore but the size of this storm seems to be its own detriment. She is basically the size of the whole northeastern section of the country. Their is also alot of dry air which Irene has been ingesting disrupting her ability to go through a healthy reconstructing of her eye wall. The Euro model which will be an important model is coming out at about 2 and I will let you know more about that.

As of now we will just have to watch and see how she pans out. The trough is digging in now and the high is still pronounced but not as pronounced this should allow the trough to influence Irene and tug her Northward/NNE.


The faster Irene moves the greater chance she gets swept further to the east the slower she goes the better chance she sweeps under the trough and goes further west. Here are a few maps to help illustrate the situation currently. By the way a storm of this size and strength will be pushing massive wave action in front of it not to mention storm surge. They are reporting 41 foot waves out in the Atlantic just to prove this fact.

[SwordoftheVistula]

Some sporadic heavy rains this past day (Thursday) in DC, and getting a bit windy towards the end of the day around 8 PM. Back home inland in Virginia, nothing much at all.

[GeistFaust]

Some sporadic heavy rains this past day (Thursday) in DC, and getting a bit windy towards the end of the day around 8 PM. Back home inland in Virginia, nothing much at all.

You will probably see nothing until later in the day Saturday. I would advise you to caution yourself for 75-100 MPH winds possibly. It looks like the a possible eastern shift in the models though might reduce this to 50-75 MPH winds but still use caution. This is one massive storm but right now according to the last enhanced satellite imagery it is being chewed away at. This still will be a dangerous Floyd like storm though.

[Scrapple]

Well got about 3 days of non-perisable food and water. Generator is working, filled up the gas tank and got a portable radio and extra batteries. We live at the border of Hurricane/TS warning area it shouldn't be too bad.

No problems with flooding where I live so only really expecting power outages.

[GeistFaust]

The latest outlook on this storm does not look good for the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast. Although Irene is now only a strong Cat 2 with winds of 110 MPH it has a massive windfield with tropical storm winds spreading out of 300 miles and hurricane force winds spreading over 100 MPH. The latest model spreads have taken it a little further west some even taking it into Queen and Nassau counties in Long Island after moving over North Carolina.


Storm surge will be considerable up the coast with 10-12 Ft in North Carolina and 4-8 up all the way into New York City. The current Satellite imagery shows a massive storm with good outflow, low shear surrounding it, and a moist environment. Also Irene will be heading over the Gulf Stream as it approached North Carolina and if this is the case it looks like Irene will be attempting to intensify until she hits North Carolina straight on.


Because of the massive size of this storm it will take a longer time for Irene to strengthen under the shear instead it will maintain 100 MPH winds all the way up into New Jersey with 60-80 MPH winds in New York City and points North. Another issue is that areas will receive tropical storm and hurricane winds over a prolonged period of time due to the massive nature of this storm's circumference. The massive size of it is all going to cause it to produce massive weight heights and storm surge heights as it pushes the water up to the northeast coast. It also seems like this storm will be hitting locations on the east coast during high tide which could make matters worse. The latest update is coming out in about 21 minutes and I shall post that up when they come in.

[GeistFaust]

Well got about 3 days of non-perisable food and water. Generator is working, filled up the gas tank and got a portable radio and extra batteries. We live at the border of Hurricane/TS warning area it shouldn't be too bad.

No problems with flooding where I live so only really expecting power outages.

I would not underestimate the strength of this storm there will be a lot of stronger gusts than the actual winds you get not to mention possible tornadoes. This storm is so large they are saying it might maintain its Category 2 strength all the way up to the Delmarva coast and New Jersey coast. If this storm speeds up it could possible maintain weak Cat 2 strength up to NYC and the Long Island area.

[Odoacer]

Some sporadic heavy rains this past day (Thursday) in DC, and getting a bit windy towards the end of the day around 8 PM. Back home inland in Virginia, nothing much at all.

We had some strong thunderstorms in the Piedmont yesterday. I don't think that's directly related to Irene, though. They're only calling for a 30-40% chance of thunderstorms today & tomorrow, no watches or warnings in effect right now, so it's looking like Irene won't have much impact here - just some rain & maybe a little wind. However, they have issued mandatory evacuation orders for parts of the Tidewater.

[Graham]

Where has the eye gone? looks very big though

[Argyll]

It's comming right through South Carolina.......where I live. I hate the south.

[Odoacer]

Where has the eye gone? looks very big though

From the current maps, the eye looks to be due east of the Georgia coast.

http://s.imwx.com/img/images/news/august2011/large-hurricane-irene.jpg

Wind damage projections:

http://i.imwx.com/images/maps/truvu/map_specnews06_ltst_4namus_enus_600x338.jpg

Heavy rain & flood:

http://i.imwx.com/images/maps/truvu/map_specnews10_ltst_4namus_enus_600x338.jpg

Wave & storm surges:

http://i.imwx.com/images/maps/truvu/map_specnews07_ltst_4namus_enus_600x338.jpg

[Argyll]

SC is right abouve Georgia.

[Odoacer]

It's comming right through South Carolina.......where I live. I hate the south.

Eh, so far it doesn't look like it's going to be too bad for SC.

[Argyll]

We're going to have a hell of a lot of rain.

[Scrapple]

Don't know how long this will stay up but a webcam in Myrtle Beach
http://www.earthcam.com/usa/southcarolina/myrtlebeach/

[GeistFaust]

As of now Irene has weakened to a weak Cat 2 with winds of 100 MPH. This should not in the least make people feel like Irene will be less damaging. The issue with Irene is not her core strength but the massive wind field she carries along with her and the potential storm surge that will result due to this. It even has a chance to strengthen slightly as it passes over the Gulf Stream. This storm will surely be a big one and it might not live up to the expectations the media sometimes places on it but the media likes to over hype things. I will give a full and comprehensive report in 3 hours but as of now the only to note is the fall in wind speed, rise in pressure, and slight movement to the west.

[SilverKnight]

Here in PA people are flocking to Walmart and other stores for water this is getting worst by the hour, hopefully it will move more east so that it has less effect on the North-east and mid-Atlantic.

[Scrapple]

Found out the local websites of the NOAA have a lot more information and specifics.

Any one in NJ or SE PA http://www.erh.noaa.gov/phi/ it breaks it down by counties.

Where I live as of now

WIND SPD 4 2 2 3 5 5 13 27 32 43 43 43 48 41 27 24 9 9 6 6 4
WIND GUST 56 64 65 52 40
CLOUDS SC B1 B2 B2 B2 OV OV OV OV OV OV OV OV OV OV B2 B2 B1 SC SC SC
POP 12HR 40 100 100 100 10
QPF 12HR 0.14 0.47-0.58 4.41-4.70 2.28-2.64 0

[Treffie]

Didn't your East Coast just have a decent sized earthquake?(

This is what Californians think of the East Coast earthquake :D

http://belieber.files.wordpress.com/2011/08/2011-va-earthquake-we-will-rebuild-east-coast-damage.jpg?w=441&h=314

[Arrow Cross]

This is what Californians think of the East Coast earthquake :D

http://belieber.files.wordpress.com/2011/08/2011-va-earthquake-we-will-rebuild-east-coast-damage.jpg?w=441&h=314
Make that "the rest of the world". I just wanted to post that picture too. :D

[Electronic God-Man]

So what are the chances that a plane coming from Europe would actually land in D.C. tomorrow night (rather than have the flight canceled, etc.)? :D

[Loki]

There's way too much hype about this hurricane. Not exactly a Katrina ...

[Storm]

It's good to be cautious but I do agree. I was at the local markets earlier and it was packed with people and it was difficult to get a shopping-cart and the shelves were almost completely empty of edible items. The idea did come to mind however about media exaggerations which would create panic and would influence people who would go shopping crazy along a broad area.

[Graham]

There's way too much hype about this hurricane. Not exactly a Katrina ...

Well apparently it has been weakening. But Imagine if something like this were to hit London. The news here would go into meltdown.

[Treffie]

Well apparently it has been weakening. But Imagine if something like this were to hit London. The news here would go into meltdown.

Have you ever read the Daily Mail when it rains in London? `Build an Ark, build an Ark!` :D

[Scrapple]

Well apparently it has been weakening. But Imagine if something like this were to hit London. The news here would go into meltdown.

Watch out Irene is coming for you.

http://i.imgur.com/zTgHf.gif

[GeistFaust]

It looks like Irene has stabilized itself strength wise and from here on out it should only weaken slowly. She has winds of 100 MPH with a pressure of 951. The tropical storm winds spread over 210 miles while the hurricane winds spread over 90 Miles of area. It looks like the storm has started to make its trek to the NNE and will probably make a slight NE move until it bends back in on a more NNE and N track as it approaches NYC and Long Island. Right now the outer bands are hitting North Carolina with Tropical storm winds and even a few tornadoes have been reported. We are expecting this storm to hit the North Carolina coast slightly after high tide in North Carolina with storm surge levels at 10-12 feet.

Points North should expect anywhere from 3-8 Feet storm surge and the destruction it will inflict will have everything to do with the timing of this storm. Delaware, New Jersey, and New York should experience 60-75 MPH winds over a 12 hour period with gusts of 65-80. Given that this storm will traverse over some populated areas the winds of the hurricane will be exaggerated by the fact that these winds will be hitting rather tall buildings.



Irene is a massive storm and this will make it much harder for this storm to weaken since its core is very strong and the shortwave which is causing it to move NNE/NE will only cause this storm to maintain its strength and weaken only slowly. I do agree this storm is being over hyped which is the nature of storms hitting such a populated area but it is something most professionals and law officials can not let their guard down on. The main issue with this storm will be the massive wind field it has and the storm surge it will be pushing up the coast. Here are some newer maps.

[SwordoftheVistula]

Grocery store in DC near where I work was jammed full all day, people buying up all the bottled water and other foods. It sucked, because I only wanted to grab something for lunch and get back to work.

Stores as far west as Oakton, which is quite far from the shore (its well west of DC, which itself is well west of the shore) are all emptied out of bottled water.

This is entirely stupid for a number of reasons:

The storm will pass well to the east of the city, going up the Chesapeake Bay or further east.

The storm will be at most a Cat 2 Hurricane, maybe weaker, when it passes by.

Unlike New Orleans, we are well above sea level, so the water supply will be safe

Everyone in the area is on city water, not electric well water pump like out in the rural areas, so even if the electricity does go out, there will still be water.


All in all, a lot of panic over nothing more than maybe some rainstorms and a bit windy, but nothing much more than a normal rainstorm.

[Johnston]

This storm is only historic because it is during Obama's term, and so, and so...

Other than that, how about sex in a hurricane? Who couldn't get used to that? Maybe I'll try it! One small quickie for man, one giant orgy for mankind? ;)

[SilverKnight]

I knew hurricane Irene would eventually become cat. 1 once it hitted NC, if it gets to N.Y.C it would just be a pathetic cat.1 or tropical storm nothing more the waters up here are colder so don't expect nothing higher, folks down in Florida are laughing at us. Media hype this days.

[Sol Invictus]

God I hope Irene obliterates NY and kills everything in it.

For world peace.

[The Lawspeaker]

God I hope Irene obliterates NY and kills everything in it.

For world peace.
Particularly Wall Street and everything near or in it. Pretty please with sugar on top.:thumbs up

[Loki]

I knew hurricane Irene would eventually become cat. 1 once it hitted NC, if it gets to N.Y.C it would just be a pathetic cat.1 or tropical storm nothing more the waters up here are colder so don't expect nothing higher, folks down in Florida are laughing at us. Media hype this days.

That's what I've been saying all along. I studied tropical storms for years. This is mostly media and political hype cashing in on fears of people who don't know shit about meteorology.

[Sol Invictus]

1. Canned Spam? Check
2. Canned Soup? Check
3. Totally boned if electricity goes out and I cant light the stove? Check
4. Books? check
5. Candle? Check
6. Lighter/matches? Somewhere lol.


LOCKED N LOADED.

[SilverKnight]

That's what I've been saying all along. I studied tropical storms for years. This is mostly media and political hype cashing in on fears of people who don't know shit about meteorology.

And more viewers for Weather channel and CNN :rolleyes2:

[Terek]

New York here: All transportation is closed.

[askra]

why are people scared for a f1 hurricane? i hope it is only an excess of precaution post Katrina

[Treffie]

God I hope Irene obliterates NY and kills everything in it.

For world peace.

You're a happy soul, eh? :D

[The Lawspeaker]

Bye bye Jew York.. :D:thumb001:

[Ulf]

All I have is my gun and a garage full o lawn chairs. I'm fucked!

[The Lawspeaker]

All I have is my gun and a garage full o lawn chairs. I'm fucked!
Bye bye Ulf.. see you in Hell. :D

[Scrapple]

The focus of the news now is more about flooding and the storm surge rather than complete destruction.

[billErobreren]

I heard 3 people died already....

[The Lawspeaker]

I heard 3 people died already....
What ? Where ?

[Scrapple]

What ? Where ?


One guy a tree fell on him as he was going to feed his animals on a farm. The second was a 10 year old boy :( who died when a tree fell on his apartment and I don't know of the third one.

No links just reporting was was said on another forum.

[The Lawspeaker]

One guy a tree fell on him as he was going to feed his animals on a farm. The second was a 10 year old boy :( who died when a tree fell on his apartment and I don't know of the third one.

No links just reporting was was said on another forum.
Where did it happen ?

[Odoacer]

Irene death toll hits 5, with boy killed by tree in Virginia (http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/nationnow/2011/08/hurricane-irene-boy-killed-by-fallen-tree-in-virginia.html)

At least five people have died -- in a car accident, by heart attack and by falling trees -- as a result of Hurricane Irene, the slow-moving but powerful swirl of wind and rain that barreled ashore in North Carolina.

As the storm moved steadily north on Saturday, heavily populated areas of Washington, D.C., and New York City braced for impact. Irene is expected to continue its northward path through New England, before weakening early Sunday morning.

Storm-related disruptions of daily life were immense: More than 2 million people were ordered evacuated from low-lying areas that were expected to be inundated by surging flood waters accompanying the nearly 450-mile wide hurricane's northward 14 mph trek. The country’s largest subway system ground to a halt as New York City officials took precautions against flooding.

President Obama, who paid an unannounced visit today to the Federal Emergency Management Administration headquarters in Washington, declared a state of emergency in nine states, as government officials and residents dealt with or prepared for major power outages, flooding and wind-driven damage to buildings and infrastructure.

The president praised emergency preparations, but warned that the worst was not over: "It's going to be a long 72 hours," the president said. "And obviously a lot of families are going to be affected."

FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate said that the large, slow-moving storm could also produce dangerous tornadoes. Tornadoes "will not be on the ground very long," he said. "But they can still be very devastating."

Officials also expressed concern about 11 nuclear power plants along the Eastern Seaboard and said they had dispatched staff to make sure the plants' reactors are protected by backup power systems, said a spokesman for the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

Though the hurricane was downgraded to a Category 1 as it made landfall in Jacksonville, N.C., on Saturday morning, it still packed 85 mph winds and plenty of danger. Officials warned people not to underestimate Irene’s power for devastation.

"If you’re in a hurricane, you're in a hurricane," Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said Saturday morning at a briefing at FEMA headquarters. "We anticipate heavy rain, potential flooding and significant power outages throughout the area of the storm, which means all up and down the Eastern Seaboard."

The first three deaths from Hurricane Irene were reported in North Carolina. A man in Nash County, N.C., was reported killed by a falling tree limb outside his home on Saturday, local authorities said. And on Friday, a man installing plywood on the window of his home in Onslow County, N.C., died of a heart attack, said Ernie Seneca of the North Carolina Emergency Management office in Raleigh.

A third man died in Pitt County when he lost control of his vehicle and hit a tree, officials said.

In Newport News, Va., an 11-year-old boy was killed when a tree crashed into his apartment building, said Kim Lee, a spokeswoman for the city.

And in Brunswick County, Va., a tree fell on a car, killing one other person, said Eileen Guertler, a spokeswoman at the Virginia operations center.

Also, authorities in New Hanover County, N.C., were searching for a man who either fell or jumped into the Cape Fear River on Friday as the first, outer bands of the storm began to ravage the area. A rescue team was sent out, but returned due to the rough conditions, said Michelle Harrell, an emergency operations staff member there.

County officials planned today to send a boat out again, but Harrell said it would not be considered a rescue mission.

"It is now more of a recovery mission," she said.

In New Jersey, Gov. Chris Christie said authorities would make a “last-ditch effort” to evacuate roughly 600 senior citizens who refused to leave their Atlantic City high-rises.

Atlantic City is under a mandatory evacuation order, but Christie acknowledged that if residents decline to heed the order, he cannot force them.

“You’re correct that I cannot make you leave your home and I certainly do not intend to place you under arrest to get you to leave,” Christie said, aiming his remarks at the holdouts. “But if you stay where you are, you’re putting yourself in danger as well as your loved ones.”

Despite resistance in Atlantic City, Christie estimated that “well over 90%” of Atlantic County’s residents have left. Earlier, on Friday, he had been emphatic: “Get the hell off the beach! You’re tan enough.”

On Saturday afternoon, he said, “The good news is people heeded my subtle advice yesterday... Over a million people have left the Jersey shore in the last 24 hours.”

Meanwhile, a tropical storm warning was issued Saturday for parts of Canada, spanning from the U.S. border to Fort Lawrence and including the southern coast of Nova Scotia, said Dennis Feltgen, a spokesman for the National Hurricane Center in Miami.

[The Lawspeaker]

I will write Julie asap because I wasn't sure whether she moved from SC to NC ?

[billErobreren]

One guy a tree fell on him as he was going to feed his animals on a farm. The second was a 10 year old boy :( who died when a tree fell on his apartment and I don't know of the third one.

No links just reporting was was said on another forum.

My God!!! a ten year old?!!!

[Scrapple]

My God!!! a ten year old?!!!

Yeah check EuroAmerican's post above for details. :sad:

[Sol Invictus]

Irene has cut power to a Million people so far as of approx 5:00 pm eastern time.

http://hurricane.accuweather.com/blogs/news/story/54295/mean-irene-closes-in-on-nc-out-1.asp?partner=accuweather

[Storm]

It's hitting harder here now, the rain is heavier and the wind a bit stronger.

[billErobreren]

jesus, I'm glad I don't live in the East Coast, still I hope they come out of it ok

[Argyll]

Meh, all I got was some over castness and heavy winds. I was really looking forward to some rain around here.....

[Ulf]

Still waiting to float away here. I've lashed together a machine of lawnchairs and grills. I will ride to the heart of this beast and... probably drown.

[Óttar]

Heavy winds outside. Rain pouring down. Not going anywhere. No salts and sweets for me tonight.

[The Lawspeaker]

Meh, all I got was some over castness and heavy winds. I was really looking forward to some rain around here.....
Be glad. You want some "excitement" down there ? I am just VERY glad that the "overcastness and heavy winds" was probably all that my ex (also on this forum -- and from South Carolina) got. As it could have turned out to be VERY ugly indeed....

[Grumpy Cat]

Still beautiful here, though hot.

[Electronic God-Man]

The weather is still gay as of 10 PM in PA.

Where's the real deal?

[Odoacer]

Meh, all I got was some over castness and heavy winds. I was really looking forward to some rain around here.....

I told you SC wasn't gonna get much. ;)

[rhiannon]

I'm not scared. I'll just be sure to take a good shower before it hits because last year after hurricane Earl I had no water for 5 days and I smelled pretty bad. :lol:

And hurricanes in Canada's Maritimes are quite common, mores than New England because we're further east (hurricanes typically follow a C pattern) though the last time we had one this strong was in 2003.

Meant to say, Glad to see you are back:)

[rhiannon]

Please keep this thread bumped, for I would like to see how you East Coasties are faring out there.

My in-laws live in CT, but they are kind of distant, if you know what I mean.

[Storm]

The main punch begins now here in N.Y.C area.. Trees are swaying, rain is falling hard and some gust here and there. I have a skylight in the middle of the apartment, and it's 'howling' because of the wind! It sounds a pack of werewolves are going to breach and have me as a late night snack. :eek:

[Transhumanist]

Power is out by me. Strongest winds are still not here. South shore. Nassau county long island ny.

[Storm]

It started in the tropics, beating it's bongo drums, came to NYC and faded away here, too cold for it to last here I guess. :p

It was windy and very rainy, but yes blown out of proportion by the media. Funnily enough, around 9:30 this morning a transformer up the block blew, and there was a quick power outage. I haven't seen flooding on the streets, just a few small twigs or branches on the ground. Now it's just breezy with overcast but the rain stopped around 8:00 or so this morning.

[Piparskeggr]

My ma said they got some heavy rain for awhile there in western Massachusetts, but the wind wasn't too bad, expected to be breezier tonight.

[Wölfin]

We've got plenty of rain here and some wind. Nothing I'd call striking. But I knew it was being overhyped by the media, right from the beginning. Am not impressed :D

[Mercury]

Absolutely nothing here except for rain.

[Birka]

It started in the tropics, beating it's bongo drums, came to NYC and faded away here, too cold for it to last here I guess. :p

but yes blown out of proportion by the media.
Thought you were talking about the president.

[Electronic God-Man]

Power was out when I woke up this morning. It came back on in about an hour though.

[la bombe]

I'm in Massachusetts and it stormed today but nothing really major. The power stayed on where I'm at and now it's completely stopped raining now.

[Graham]

Heard that Vermont was badly hit by flooding. Hope Allenson and his family/friends kept safe or his property.

[SwordoftheVistula]

DC area was mostly rain.

7 PM Sat: Walk to train station in VA. Constant light rain. Some kids walking past me the other direction ask me to come play golf with them.

8 PM Sat: Arrive at train station in Maryland. Raining a bit harder and some wind blowing, not too much.

10-11 ish Sat: Power goes out at friends' house in eastern Maryland, they come join us.

12-1 AM ish Sunday: Power goes out where we are in central Maryland

Sunday: bright, sunny day. Power comes on around 2-3 PM

Neighbors house where I live in VA had some tree branches fall down on their power lines. Other than that, only minor tree branches and some power outages in the area.

[Transhumanist]

Power is out by me. Strongest winds are still not here. South shore. Nassau county long island ny.

The outage lasted ~18 hours for me. Came back late last evening. Not bad, all things considered. My brother's power is still out.

[Allenson]

Heard that Vermont was badly hit by flooding. Hope Allenson and his family/friends kept safe or his property.

I'm back! Horrible flooding rains here in Vermont--the worst in many decades, state-wide.


A category 3 hurricane is still not strong enough to do significant damage. The worst that would happen is a power outage and the NYSE probably has a generator that lasts at least 24 hours.

Irene will be an inconvenience at it's worst.


There's way too much hype about this hurricane. Not exactly a Katrina ...

:rolleyes:

Please, no more comments as such regarding weather. I'll let the photos do the talking:

http://i.huffpost.com/gen/339820/VERMONT-FLOODING.jpg

http://timenewsfeed.files.wordpress.com/2011/08/aptopix_irene-sff.jpg?w=455

http://static5.businessinsider.com/image/4e5af313eab8ea130a000043/waitsfield-vermont-flood.jpg

http://static8.businessinsider.com/image/4e5af34b69bedd683f00003b/castleton-state-flood.jpg

http://s.imwx.com/img/images/news/august2011/vermont-floods-440x297.jpg

http://www.vpr.net/uploads/photos/original/bethel_house_600x450.jpg

And that's just a sampling.

Yeah, I guess you could call this a hyped inconvenience. :suomut:

[Great Dane]

If it were Haiti or New Orleans a lot of people would be like "OMG! We have to do something!" but since it is just a lot of white people they don't care. :coffee:

[Graham]

Got to keep an eye on Katia. Hopefully it doesn't amount to much. It'll get stronger and go North West they're saying so far http://icons-ecast.wunderground.com/data/images/at201112_5day.gif

[Allenson]

Ayup, already keeping my eyes on Katia. Most indications at the moment are that she'll curve back out to sea but we still need to be vigilant.

[GeistFaust]

Its tough to forecast that far out although historically the stronger a storm is at the point Katia is at the more likely she will curve out to sea. This is because she will be steared by levels of the atmosphere which will allow the trough sweeping through the Atlantic to influence her more so. Most of the models are not that far into the forecast period to really get a good idea about this storm. There are still a lot of variables which will be at play most importantly the strength of this storm as it approached the Leeward Islands. A few ensemble models have this hitting Florida and a few of the models had a system hitting Florida as well buts its too far out for now. Its possible this storm slides under the trough and than the Ridge will build back in sending it WNW for 2 to 3 days than NW for a day or 2 which could put it close to the US mainland.

[Graham]

...

[Argyll]

I wish I got the rain I was promised! :angry:

[Allenson]

GeistFaust is it normal to have all this happening at once? Weather's going a bit mad eh. :shakefist


Now wer're supposed to have more heavy rains here via Tropical Depression 13. Not direct hit, mind you but a stalled out frontal system channeling Gulf of Mexico moisture all the way up into New England.

Ugh!

Don't even want to think of Katia just yet....

Rainfall map for TD 13:

[SwordoftheVistula]

Is it better or worse, being a meteorologist and knowing exactly what is coming for you?