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

[Hatteras]

Good Luck!

[DollyCali]

you have FReep mail

[sitetest]

Dear pgkdan,

Here I sit, it's after 10 in the morning, the skies are gray, and occasionally we get a little breeze or a few drops of rain...

...and official Washington is locked down tight as a drum. Heck, Metro is being shut down in another 50 minutes.

I'm still chuckling (cynically) that the Feds have shut down for at least Thursday, maybe Friday, too. I figure all those SESers and GS-15s just wanted a four-day weekend.

Your tax dollars at work.

;-)


sitetest

[sissyjane]

Morning from the left coast. I have three golden retrievers, and I walk them every day. I always run into an older gentleman with his yorkie "Charlie". Well--Charlie thinks he is a rottweiller,and is going to eat my dogs. :>))

[glock rocks]

TWC has it moving at 18mph now.

Right now I'm having difficulty getting to some of the better weather sites, internet traffic is very high, though throughput is good...

water vapor imaging doesn't show a visible eye, and most of the tv stations are showing either doppler alone or a doppler composite.

[Howlin]

I hope everybody feels the way I do: I feel like we all did our "homework" and that we are all prepared; we couldn't BE more prepared!

Therefore, we don't have to be worried.

That being said, I am going to be mad as HELL if I lose my power! If I don't post for a long time, you can be sure I'm down!

[NCjim]

NWS says at 10:00 Beaufort had winds of 40 mph with gusts to 55 mph. I also heard they were without power there.

[U S Army EOD]

Hope you got a little bit of sleep!!!!

[NCjim]

Rain just picked up here in North Raleigh.

[Howlin]

I did. I decided to sleep in and get whatever I had to do done before I logged on. I knew I'd never get up again..........LOL.

[txhurl]

That IS funny!

Did they catch Big Bad Easter Bunny's 9-dwarves Isabel comments, too?

[honeygrl]

On a closeup radar map, the eye starts at Moorehead and the other side is at Hatteras. It appears that the eye is going to make landfall right smack between the two and Hatteras will get the bad side of it.

[xsmommy]

i am going to go and shower now, i had put it off, but i want to be all clean and shiny before the ordeal starts!

[NautiNurse]

Hey did you see this?

Post #357 (Isabel preparing to devour the east coast)

[Jonah Hex]

180,000 without power in eastern Virginia and Carolina. We still have power here in my part of Newport News, but Southside Hampton Roads is losing power big-time.

[iceskater]

FOX is reporting that the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel has just been closed. I expect the Hampton Roads Bridge Tunnel will be closed next

Last week, we were crossing the HRBT and the surf was waaay up due to the remnants of T.S. Henri. I had never seen the waves so high up on those pilings before in my life. I would not want to be trying to cross there today, that's for sure.
This time last week we were riding our bikes on the Va. Beach boardwalk. I heard today they expect it to be completely under water before the day is out. Glad we picked last week for vacation instead of this week.

[ShakeNJake]

I am from Portsmouth but now live north of Dallas. My family all still lives there. I spoke to my mother and sister yesterday afternoon. There was a PPD car driving up and down their street with the bullhorn telling them that their area was supposed to evacuate. No one was leaving however. She lives just 2 blocks from Hodges Manor Elementary School on Cornwall Road. I went to school there.

Stay safe!!!

[CFW]

http://www.wunderground.com/data/images/at_ir.jpg

[Petronski]

Howlin, since you are right on location, you should consider getting the phone number of your most trusted Freeper, so that you could still be in touch with FR if you lost power but still had phones. Some of us will be concerned.

[Howlin]

Oh, that's funny! I'm glad we can still laugh.

Just forwarded that to my niece, who is at this moment locked down at New Hanover Regional Medical Center in Wilmington for "storm duty".......and is ill as a snake.