It is hurricane season and Irene is on the move. [www.nhc.noaa.gov]

Yesterday it looked like the storm would be going through Haiti and was likely to break up or at least weaken over the mountains there. This morning the storm has cleared Puerto Rico and is likely to mess with the Bahamas but stay at hurricane strength until it hits the East Coast of the US. Current 'target' seems to be South Carolina, but judging from the ongoing recurve, if I were in North Carolina I would be looking to get my shops done before next weekend if at all possible.

Was planning on going on a mini-vacation to Ocean City Maryland this upcoming weekend and picking up a shop while I am there. The company gave me another shop only because I was doing this one. Well guess I won't be going since they are calling for heavy rains and strong winds. How many people do their shop on the boardwalk during these conditions? The secret shopper, that's who!

The out-of-towner with non-refundable reservations made months ago?

LOL! Luckily I didn't have a reservation, and was just going to show up. I've learned they don't take too kindly to weekend reservations if you aren't staying at least 3 days, and I've had more luck just showing up and getting a room for a night at a place that didn't fill. Guess I won't have that problem if I do end up going.
Hope my southern friends stay safe this weekend =(

Nice to note today that the storm plots have curved significantly to the East. At this point it looks like the Outer Banks of NC and the Chesapeake Bay area are the continental US areas still under threat. A bit more 'recurve' and the entire continental US will be out of threat. And since the coastal US would be on the 'dry side' of the storm, there shouldn't be a whole lot of torrential rains and high winds.

Hubby told me today that the storm has shifted and is now headed towards SC again. Good thing we are far enough in-land that the only thing we would get is rain. I used to live in FL, and I do NOT miss preparing for hurricanes at all!

Ocean City, MD government is asking travelers to avoid the area this weekend. Also, they are evacuating all of the foreign students who have been working there this summer. They expect to loose part of the boardwalk (yet again).

Marketforce has suspended their grocery shops in this area until after 8/28, because of the storm (see my post on another thread.)

Yes, overnight the storm's winds slowed and its speed went up a bit--both general indicators of a weakening storm. Unfortunately the projected path has moved more towards the West so more coastal areas are up for a strafing. Luckily hurricanes weaken in colder waters and when crossing land masses. Hopefully this will happen with Irene as well.

Looks like we're gonna get hit here in Brooklyn some time this evening. Hopefully internet & power will hold out.

We are all watching and listening for the news to see how you will fare. You and all our other friends and family up there are in our thoughts and prayers. Be safe.

You are more likely to retain power and internet than many parts of the country since your utilities are underground, but I still would expect outages. Indeed stay safe.

Thank you for the thoughts Flash, AustinMom. We are hopeful things will stay safe here. And hunkered down, with plenty of extra water and food.

Thats about all you can do. I note that the 5PM has reduced wind speed to 80 mph, so it is slowing down. Part of that slow down is being over land mass, part being in colder waters that cannot provide much energy to the storm and part of that is that last evening it sucked in a substantial band of dry air.

Few windows are designed to even handle 60 mph winds, so as the storm approaches, close curtains and try to block them into place so that should windows break the glass will be confined to around them rather than become shrapnel flung throughout the room. Taping the windows will not prevent breakage, though it can help hold the glass pieces together.

Get your AC cranking for the house/apartment to be as cold as possible because if windows don't break you will at least be comfortable for a while after power is lost. Fill the bathtub with water to use for washing and to dump a bucket full into the bowl to force a flush in case your municipal water has issues. Then it is time to 'build a nest' in an interior hallway away from windows. Grab the blankets, pillows, battery radio, flashlights, candles etc. If you have a cooler, ice and drinks and snacks. Put any important documents in a large ziplock bag in the 'nest', along with anything else you can easily stash there that might be damaged by water. Then as the storm approaches, head for the nest yourself and whatever happens in the rest of the apartment/house, do not leave the nest until things have quieted down.

As an ex-Brooklynite, I can attest to the fact that New Yorkers are one tough breed. In addition to "hunkering down," seek shelter, stay safe and "Hang Tough."

As of about 5:30 AM the center of Irene was 130 miles due east of Washington, DC. However, it is so huge that it will be at least mid-afternoon before the trailing edge, with strong winds from the NW, has passed by.

My neighborhood, 2 miles due north of the northern tip of DC, came through the night with a 3 minute power loss. So far, so good.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/28/2011 12:44PM by walesmaven.

Good to hear, hang in there.

We are all watching closely and keeping out fingers crossed. I'm glad to see that the storm has speeded up its forward momentum. The 9AM advisory indicates she is down to 75mph wind speeds and moving along at 25mph. That will get her through areas twice as fast as yesterday with a lot less oomph.

After very strong winds and heavy rain, last night, the storm seems to have calmed down a it.

All it is is a light rain and very strong winds, here in New York. We tried to go out to get some air, but it started raining again. I am near the east river, so we were just curious to see what it was like outside.

The transit system will be down on Monday and it will be impossible to get around.

Luckily the 11AM NOAA information indicates the storm has been downgraded to a Tropical Storm from a hurricane. Winds of 60 mph and forward motion of 26 mph. That is all good. You are still going to have some strong winds and rain alternating between the heavy 'bands' feeding into the storm and the lighter periods between bands. The storm still seems to be moving slightly west, so those to the NE of the storm center will get the worst of the rains and wind.

Sunshine in Washington, DC area!

Excellent.