Hurricane Irene – Day 7
Position: 32.6N 76.9W [10PM CDT 0300 UTC].
Movement: North-Northeast [020°] near 13 mph [20 kph].
Maximum sustained winds: 100 mph [155 kph].
Wind Gusts: 130 mph [210 kph].
Tropical Storm Wind Radius: 290 miles [465 km].
Hurricane Wind Radius: 90 miles [150 km].
Minimum central pressure: 951 mb ↑.
Currently about 195 miles [ 315 km] South-Southwest of Cape Hatteras, NC and 140 miles [225 km] South of Cape Lookout, NC.
A Hurricane Warning is in effect for the coast from Little River Inlet, North Carolina north to Sagamore Beach, Massachusetts.
A Tropical Storm Warning is in effect for the coast from Edisto Beach, South Carolina to Little River Inlet, North Carolina; Chesapeake Bay from Drum Point northward and the tidal Potomac; and north of Sagamore Beach to Merrimack River, Massachusetts.
A Tropical Storm Watch is in effect for the Merrimack River, Massachusetts to Eastport, Maine.
Here’s the link for NOAA’s latest satellite images.
[For the latest information click on the storm symbol, or go to the CATEGORIES drop-down box below the CALENDAR and select “Hurricanes” for all of the posts related to storms on this site.]
4 comments
Gov. Secaucus Fats a few hours ago did the most exasperated-sounding presser I’ve heard from a politician in a long time, berating the New Jerseyites who were still working on their tan and telling them “get the hell off the beach and get to safety”. Heh. New Joisy. Even the governor has an attitude :).
The only good news is that Irene is fat but Irene isn’t blowing too hard compared to some hurricanes that have hit the Gulf Coast in recent history. Still, you got a hurricane that’s above a Category 1, it’s not something to play with.
– Badtux the Blown-on Penguin
The problem with Irene is the slow plodding pace and sheer size of the storm. It is building up a wall of water before it, which, combined with the highest tides for the month, and the waves on top of the surge, is going to crush structures.
Some of the dunes on the Carolina barrier islands are already being topped, and the storm is over 200 miles away.
When you add the rain to the storm surge, and an area already saturated by very heavy rainfall all month, it is the flooding that is going to do the damage, not the wind.
I was over 200 miles away from Katrina, but we had an 8-foot surge in the bay. Same deal – huge, slow moving storm. We didn’t get up to tropical storm force winds.
Indeed. One thing’s certain, right now is *not* the proper time to work on your tan on the Jersey shore! WTF are people thinking?!
– Badtux the “I understand why he’s exasperated!” Penguin
When I was at dinner at my Mother’s there was a reporter on the beach in North Carolina, and he sounded afraid. The waves had just ‘eaten’ a fishing pier as he watched, and the highest wind gust was only 25mph.
What these doubters need to see is video of the I-10 bridge at the top of Pensacola Bay. ‘The deck is about 20 feet above the water, rising to 50+ at the center boat channel. When it was replaced after Opal in 1995 they designed so that the road surface was actually concrete and steel slabs that drop into place on the structure. They did it because the old structure was destroyed by water rising up under the bridge and pushing it apart.
After Ivan a dozen of those multi-ton panels had been popped out of the bridge when the storm surge forced the water into the bay and created a water dam prevented the rivers from draining. The two forces met under the bridge and pushed out the panels.
People get ‘eaten’ by rogue waves all the time when they mess with hurricanes.
It’s almost as if there are no dead bodies to show, people don’t believe it’s dangerous. The media should be re-running some of the video from Katrina in Mississippi to help to educate people about storm surge.