Hurricane Isabel:Live Thread #2 "Force Ten Conditions In North Carolina And Further North"

NHC | 9-17-03 | My Favorite Headache

[My Favorite Headache]

Hurricane Isabel Advisory Number 48

Statement as of 11:00 PM EDT on September 17, 2003

...Outer bands of Hurricane Isabel moving onshore...weather should gradually worsen...

A Hurricane Warning remains in effect from Cape Fear North Carolina to Chincoteague Virginia...including Pamlico and Albemarle sounds...and the Chesapeake Bay south of Smith Point. A Hurricane Warning means that hurricane conditions are expected within the warning area...generally within 24 hours.

All preparations to protect life and property should be rushed to completion in the Hurricane Warning area.

A Tropical Storm Warning remains in effect south of Cape Fear to South Santee River South Carolina...and north of Chincoteague to Sandy Hook New Jersey...including Delaware Bay. A Tropical Storm Warning also remains in effect for the Chesapeake Bay from Smith Point northward...and for the tidal Potomac.

At 11 PM EDT...0300z...the center of Hurricane Isabel was located by an Air Force reconnaissance aircraft near latitude 31.9 north... longitude 73.9 west or about 250 miles south-southeast of Cape Hatteras North Carolina.

Isabel is moving toward the north-northwest near 13 mph. A turn to the northwest with an increase in forward speed is expected prior to landfall. On the forecast track...the center of Isabel is expected to make landfall in eastern North Carolina during the day Thursday. However...conditions will deteriorate over a large area well before the center reaches the coast. Tropical storm conditions are already spreading across the coastline.

Maximum sustained winds are near 105 mph...with higher gusts. A slight increase in strength is possible prior to landfall.

Hurricane force winds extend outward up to 115 miles from the center...and tropical storm force winds extend outward up to 315 miles. A buoy located west of the hurricane recently reported wind gusts to 74 mph and 32 foot waves.

An Air Force hurricane hunter plane recently reported a minimum central pressure of 956 mb...28.23 inches.

Storm surge flooding of 7 to 11 feet above normal tide levels... along with extremely large and dangerous battering waves...is expected near and to the north of where the center crosses the coast. Storm surge flooding of 4 to 8 ft above normal tide levels is expected in Chesapeake Bay and the tidal portions of adjacent rivers.

Storm total rainfalls of 6 to 10 inches...with locally higher amounts...are likely in association with Isabel.

There is a threat of isolated tornadoes over eastern North Carolina and southeastern Virginia on Thursday.

Repeating the 11 PM EDT position...31.9 N... 73.9 W. Movement toward...north-northwest near 13 mph. Maximum sustained winds...105 mph. Minimum central pressure... 956 mb.

For storm information specific to your area...please monitor products issued by your local weather office.

An intermediate advisory will be issued by the National Hurricane Center at 2 am EDT followed by the next complete advisory at 5 am EDT.

Forecaster Avila

[PleaseNoMore]

Well that is good to hear. I was reading the NWS NOAA site and that is where the info came from. Said that there was damage in the way of trees and power lines down reported by LE.

[Interesting Times]

Hope it is a short lived outage. Keep us updated. We're praying for you.

Thank you. Things are by no means bad here so far. We're munching on chicken and watching the Weather Channel...

[Is2C]

Testing picture posting

Isabel at 6:45 in Luray, VA

You can't really see anything, I'm just testing my new technological ability ;). Lights are flickering, ya'll stay safe.

[Orion78]

Is Isabel still classified as a Hurricane at this hour, or is she now a tropical storm?

[NautiNurse]

Heard on the ABC News radio that 2-3 guys on the Outer Banks (I think) called for emergency assistance. Two deputies responded to the call. No one has heard from any of them since.

Anyone have updates?

[abner]

Oh no...

I'll check back in when I get home. We get to go home now.

[pops88]

And what about the media people? You'd think they'd be out reporting now if they could since the worst has passed there.

[CobaltBlue]

How on earth did they turn over the Disco (Land Rover)?

[CobaltBlue]

It's a Land Rover Discovery, looks just like mine, except mine is rightside up (I can see it from my window). Those things are supposed to handle adverse conditions better than that. Maybe the driver was an idiot? Like most SUVs they can tip over if you don't drive properly.

[Howlin]

:-)

[PrivateIdaho]

Hey hedgerow - welcome to FreeRepublic.

[NautiNurse]

I was driving the car when I heard the story. They repeated it. Said the vehicle was a Chevy Blazer. Can't remember whether it was 2 or 3 guys. Two deputies responded to the call. No one has heard from any of them since.

[NautiNurse]

I can't get that photo to load. :o(

[Howlin]

http://www.ssd.noaa.gov/PS/TROP/DATA/RT/EATL/WV/20.jpg

[StriperSniper]

How can that be accurate? Think of the billions those lowlifes didn't spend on "our behalf"... Just curious.

Well, most of those billions will be automatically spent anyway. I take it that the $65M($67M per Shep) is 'special' costs that pertain only to unschedualed shutdowns, of what, your guess is as good as mine.

[pops88]

There was the report of the Sea Ranch Hotel (unoccupied) being swept out, and then the report of the Holiday Inn and possibly Ramada going. I have a really bad feeling about this as it is so easy for the face of the beach to be massively changed there.

[CobaltBlue]

Made a beer run about 5:30 and half the stoplights were without power already, in Fairfax City.

Power went off and on here a few times around 6-ish, but since then no problems, so far.

On that Dominion Power map, inside the Beltway and the outer parts of Fairfax are losing power but we're in the lucky area, and praying.

Weatherbug is set to read from Robinson Secondary, says wind gusts up to 30 and 1.9 inches of rain.

On the radio we heard that lowlying parts of Fairfax near the Potomac are being evacuated.

[NautiNurse]

Still can't get through on the NOAA site. Must be jammed. Will try again in a bit.

[MEG33]

Chevy Blazers are infamous for rollovers.I was thrilled when my daughter sold hers.

[FreeTheHostages]

By the Marine Barracks. Ah, you're the guy we visited before the Barracks freep of ANSWER about a year ago, I bet! With all those TV monitors in your place, right?