Irene

[Warren Faidley]

This could very well be a situation where TWC is finally taken to the carpet for creating outright panic. I started writing down insane quotes yesterday, but I could no longer watch the TV and had to call my therapist. (LOL). Unfortunately, their over-baked forecasts to grab advertising may come back to haunt them in the days to come. They don't seem to know the difference between "experts" and those on the ground with years of experience. I would love to see some of the more experienced chasers (on the scene there) taking about the storm than someone in an office crunching numbers all day. Where the hell is Jim Leonard when the nation needs him...! Then again, we have seen this time and time again with severe weather events, over sensationalized Mumbo Jumbo for profit at others expense. Hopefully no one is killed while in a panic to evacuate a place that is safe.

I'm going to have a field day with this when the media starts calling to get an "after the storm" opinion.

W.

 

[Andrew Burnett]

luckly weather stations are free market. If and when someone wants to start one up to replace TWC, they are welcome. IF they are wrong too many times seomeone will take their place.

 

[Warren Faidley]

The 5:00PM NHC report says it all:

THE AIRCRAFT DID NOT FIND ANY HIGHER WINDS AFTER THE RELEASE OF THE PREVIOUS ADVISORY. IN FACT...DATA FROM NEAR THE CONCLUSION OF THE FLIGHT SUPPORT A SLIGHT LOWER INITIAL INTENSITY. THE AIRCRAFT DID REPORT HURRICANE-FORCE WINDS AT FLIGHT LEVEL AND SFMR WINDS OF 50-55 KT 135 N MI EAST OF THE CENTER...SHOWING THE LARGE SIZE OF THE WIND FIELD. BUOY OBSERVATIONS AND DATA FROM AN EARLIER ASCAT PASS SHOW THAT THE TROPICAL-STORM-FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD ABOUT 225-250 N MI OVER THE EASTERN SEMICIRCLE. RECENT MICROWAVE DATA AND OBSERVATIONS FROM THE AIRCRAFT INDICATE THAT THE INNER CORE HAS ERODED. ALTHOUGH IRENE WILL BE MOVING OVER WARM WATER DURING THE NEXT 12-18 HOURS...THE LACK OF AN INNER CORE WILL LIKELY PRECLUDE ANY RESTRENGTHENING. ALTHOUGH NOT SHOWN IN THE OFFICIAL FORECAST...IRENE COULD WEAKEN JUST BELOW HURRICANE STRENGTH BEFORE REACHING SOUTHERN NEW ENGLAND.

I should note that TWC is now ***forecasting*** 25 foot waves hitting Wilmington. I see no model or surge evidence of this?

W.

 

[B Ozanne]

What's everyone's experience with cell service when most of the region is without power?

My town loses power fairly easily when ever the winds go above 40mph in the summer. For the hurricane chasing experts how does cell service usually hold? The towers are generally in more commercial areas with more stable power then the residential neighborhoods. Do they have backup generators typically?

 

[Warren Faidley]

What's everyone's experience with cell service when most of the region is without power?

My town loses power fairly easily when ever the winds go above 40mph in the summer. For the hurricane chasing experts how does cell service usually hold? The towers are generally in more commercial areas with more stable power then the residential neighborhoods. Do they have backup generators typically?

Cell coverage is hit and miss. Some towers have generators, esp. those on buildings. Some cell companies bring in mobile towers to deploy after the storm. Biggest problem is overloading of bandwidth from unnecessary use.

W.

 

[John Olexa]

Ehh, any station in the threat area that WOULDN'T be on continuously would never be watched again. I can't blame then for that. As long as they aren't finishing that sentence with "...as the city is destroyed..."

Yeah, but they act like this when we get 3" of snow. Of course DC shuts down after 4"

 

[MClarkson]

I don't recall having any problems at all with cell service during Frances Ivan or Jeanne, even at their peaks. Although that could be different with different carriers and locations.

 

[Rob Wadsworth]

I still maintain that Dr. Forbes is one of the best.
Very savvy and explains things well.
So long as he is on there, I will keep watching TWC!

 

[Jason Moreland]

Watch video >

 

[B Ozanne]

Does anybody know how strong Gloria was when it made first landfall in NC?

 

[John Olexa]

At one point Gloria was a CAT 4 but at landfall in NC it was a 2, winds were around 100MPH

 

[Dave Kaplow]

Does anybody know how strong Gloria was when it made first landfall in NC?

From Wikipedia:

"Gloria then struck Cape Hatteras, NC early on September 26, with winds of 105 mph (170 km/h) and a pressure of 942 mbar"

I'd have to say that so far Irene does not appear appear to measure up to Gloria's first landfall, and at this point I doubt conditions will be anywhere near as bad as it was in '85 here in CT, but I suppose we'll find out for sure soon enough.

 

[B Ozanne]

From Wikipedia:

"Gloria then struck Cape Hatteras, NC early on September 26, with winds of 105 mph (170 km/h) and a pressure of 942 mbar"

I'd have to say that so far Irene does not appear appear to measure up to Gloria's first landfall, and at this point I doubt conditions will be anywhere near as bad as it was in '85 here in CT, but I suppose we'll find out for sure soon enough.

I guess we will find out. Storm surge could be the biggest problem with a slower moving storm than Gloria and high astronomical tides.

 

[rdale]

DirecTV is simulcasting WAVY TV on Channel 349.

 

[B Ozanne]

Here's a good one. Bloomberg just said that ConEd may pre-emptively cut power in lower Manhattan to preserve their underground transmission network in the event of salt water flooding. They can't prevent the flooding, but by cutting power it will limit damage to their wires.

Potentially no power in lower Manhattan, no NYC transit as of noon today, no commuter rail service...this is all way more exciting than the weather we may see.