UPDATE:
And it's official: hurricane warning for North Carolina; hurricane watch issued for almost the entire Chesapeake Bay and extending on up the Delaware and New Jersey coasts to New York City.
ORIGINAL POST:
The National Weather Service's Hydrometeorological Prediction Center (basically, the group that predicts flooding) put out this statement this afternoon, that reads in part:
And it's official: hurricane warning for North Carolina; hurricane watch issued for almost the entire Chesapeake Bay and extending on up the Delaware and New Jersey coasts to New York City.
ORIGINAL POST:
The National Weather Service's Hydrometeorological Prediction Center (basically, the group that predicts flooding) put out this statement this afternoon, that reads in part:
PRELIMINARY EXTENDED FORECAST DISCUSSION
NWS HYDROMETEOROLOGICAL PREDICTION CENTER CAMP SPRINGS MD
948 AM EDT THU AUG 25 2011
VALID 12Z MON AUG 29 2011 - 12Z THU SEP 01 2011
...MAJOR HURRICANE IRENE TO STRONGLY AFFECT THE EAST COAST FROM NC
INTO THE NEW ENGLAND THIS WEEKEND...
THE LATEST NUMERICAL GUIDANCE CONTINUES TO ADJUST WESTWARD AS HAS
THE LAST SEVERAL NHC TRACK FORECASTS WHICH NOW HAVE EYE OF IRENE
COMING THRU THE NORTH CAROLINA OUTER BANKS LATE SATURDAY BEFORE
GRAZING THE DELMARVA AND NEW JERSEY THEN MOVING INTO THE NORTHEAST
ON SUNDAY. THIS POTENTIALLY COULD BE EXTREMELY DESTRUCTIVE WITH
MASSIVE DISRUPTIONS TO SOCIETY AND COMMERCE ALONG ITS ENTIRE TRACK
WITH VERY HIGH WINDS/STORM SURGE/OCEAN OVERWASH/BEACH
EROSION/SOUND AND BAY SIDE COASTAL FLOODING AND EXTREME TIDE
POTENTIAL. WIDESPREAD HEAVY RAINS IN THE 6-10 INCH RANGE WILL BE
COMMON WITH GREATLY INCREASED INLAND FLOOD POTENTIAL. REFER TO THE
NHC FOR THE LATEST FORECAST OF IRENE ALONG WITH LOCAL NWS
WARNINGS/STATEMENTS AND ADVISORIES FROM NC INTO NEW ENGLAND.
The phrase "COULD BE EXTREMELY DESTRUCTIVE WITH MASSIVE DISRUPTIONS TO SOCIETY AND COMMERCE ALONG ITS ENTIRE TRACK" does not inspire calm.
In short, Hurricane Irene should not be taken lightly.
