Hurricane Irene Live Thread

NHC NOAA ^ | 26 August 2011 | NHC/NOAA

[NautiNurse]

Approximately 65 million people are likely to be directly impacted by Hurricane Irene as the storm takes aim at the densely populated Eastern Seaboard. Evacuations are underway for high flood risk areas.

Mass transit cancellations, schedule changes and road/bridge closures are occurring throughout the storm warning areas. Please check with local news and Emergency Management Operations to determine the recommendations for your immediate area.

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Southeast
Northeast (Cape Hatteras to NE)

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Buoy Data:

Florida
Southeast US
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Local News Coverage:

WWAY 3 Wilmington NC
WRAL Raleigh NC
WETC Wilmington NC
WAVY Portsmouth VA w/Live Stream coverage link
WTVR Richmond VA
WUSA Washington DC
WBAL Baltimore MD
CBS Local Baltimore
WPVI Philadelphia
WTXF My Fox Philly
WABC NYC
WTNH New Haven CT
WHDH Boston

[NautiNurse]

Our insurance company just called to tell us how to file a claim. Yikes.

Yikes is right! LOL! that's almost like your doctor asking whether your funeral plans are in order.

[randita]

This is a screen grab, so links are not active. Website:

http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/refresh/graphics_at4+shtml/110013.shtml?3-daynl?large#contents

[alancarp]

Dune breach reported live on FOX News - 1 mile WSW of Frisco on Hatteras Island. “New inlet”

[penelopesire]

This storm chaser on Fox is scary to watch right now. I am always fearful we are going to witness one of these people get killed one day.

[DollyCali]

A question or two. When A storm like this passes over land does it loose intensity? Does it slow down the forward speed? I know they seem to travel high. Is the eye from ground to ???? Height? how high is the top of the storm normally or does that vary? What might be the ranges of height of these storms. See they are hundreds of mile across.

[sheikdetailfeather]

I am watching it! He said Cape Hatteras could be completely under water before all is said and done.

[DollyCali]

thank you for posting that with an explanation. I have seen this jargon occasionally on these threads & guessed everyone except me understood the “code”

There is nothing in it indicating pressure then?

[alancarp]

Yeah, me too. They’re all Darwin candidates.

That breach he’s showing — hard to see from his phone video — is between Frisco and Hatteras city. I guess it’s hard to see since there’s just nothing there anymore. An area breached the last time a hurricane came through here. It’s extremely narrow and the land didn’t have a chance to get ‘tied down’ with new vegetation since the last incident.

[bonfire]

Listening to Norfolk news and there are two idiots in a sailboat off Oceanview. Coast guard, fire dept et al are trying to figure out what to do. Insane.

http://www.wtkr.com/

[penelopesire]

I sure hope he has a ‘backup plan’ besides just ‘backing up’ his truck. Hopefully somewhere he can run to like a lighthouse or something to get high and dry.

[ROCKLOBSTER]

the storm won't kick into high forward speed until deep into New England.

Nevertheless, I'm securing anything that could go airborne, charging up batteries and storing some water. Since Maine's third world power goes out if it gets too foggy.

Thanks for the thread. I'm watching from here.

[penelopesire]

I guess no-one told the fool that storm surge is the biggest killer in a hurricane.

[alancarp]

1. Interaction with land will cause a hurricane to lose intensity since it’s fueled by warm water. Mountains will also disrupt the circulation... that’s clearly not in play here, though. A storm half on land and half off (like this one) will usually hang on to its intensity longer.
2. Forward speed — generally no effect from a landfall.
3. Eye — ground to the sky... all the way up. Can be obscured by clouds, esp. in weaker storms.
3. Heights? Several miles... don’t know about a blanket statement here.

[tomkat]

Ok, I know this is lame compared to the coast, but here in central PA [northern Northumberland Cty] we've been getting tickled by the northern fingers of this thing, tho no wind to speak of .. yet.

It's been raining steadily for the past 1.5 hrs at a rate of ~.5"/hr and shows no signs of slowing.

1000 27aug11

[palmer]

Yes, mostly the dry air entrainment yesterday. The weakening was so rapid yesterday that the dropsondes from the hurricane hunters only found 60 knot winds (cat 1) although finding strong winds is hit or miss. Yet those same dropsondes measured a central pressure of 950 mb (cat 3). Irene has lost practically all of the normal hurricane subsidence zone which is now allowing rain further inland (like at my house in the Shenandoah Valley). Considering we had less than 2 inches of rain for July and August, this is very welcome.

[tioga]

I see Shep has retired to the studio....no shots of him getting blown around with this hurricane. Dang....his drama queen cameos were hilarious. Where’s Geraldo?

[alancarp]

Shep is lazy. Heard the hurricane was coming to him, so I expect he’ll be outside later.

[penelopesire]

Geraldo will be covering it today on his stupid show. Hope he doesn’t get himself killed on live TV this time around.

[alancarp]

Shep: you’re an idiot. Hugo rammed itself up Charleston, SOUTH Carolina.

[AppyPappy]

Just heard from a friend in Friscoe on the Outer Banks. He said the Pamlico Sound is almost empty