Saturday, August 27, 2011

Latest Discussion from NWS in New York

URGENT - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
HURRICANE IRENE LOCAL STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NEW YORK NY
913 PM EDT SAT AUG 27 2011
...IRENE LASHING THE VIRGINIA TIDEWATER REGION AND SOUTHERN
DELMARVA PENINSULA WITH HEAVY RAINS AND HURRICANE FORCE WIND
GUSTS...
.NEW INFORMATION...
UPDATED STORM INFORMATION.
.AREAS AFFECTED...
THIS LOCAL STATEMENT PROVIDES IMPORTANT INFORMATION AND RECOMMENDED ACTIONS FOR PEOPLE AND MARINE INTERESTS IN SELECT LOCATIONS AND COASTAL WATER LEGS OF SOUTHEASTERN NEW YORK...
NORTHEASTERN NEW JERSEY...SOUTHERN CONNECTICUT AND ADJACENT COASTAL WATERS.
.WATCHES/WARNINGS...
A HURRICANE WARNING CONTINUES FOR THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS... NORTHERN FAIRFIELD...NORTHERN NEW HAVEN...NORTHERN MIDDLESEX... NORTHERN NEW LONDON...SOUTHERN FAIRFIELD...SOUTHERN NEW HAVEN...
SOUTHERN MIDDLESEX...SOUTHERN NEW LONDON...EASTERN PASSAIC... HUDSON...WESTERN BERGEN...EASTERN BERGEN...WESTERN ESSEX... EASTERN ESSEX...WESTERN UNION...EASTERN UNION...PUTNAM...
ROCKLAND...NORTHERN WESTCHESTER...SOUTHERN WESTCHESTER...NEW YORK
(MANHATTAN)...BRONX...RICHMOND (STATEN ISLAND)...KINGS (BROOKLYN)...NORTHWESTERN SUFFOLK...NORTHEASTERN SUFFOLK... SOUTHWESTERN SUFFOLK...SOUTHEASTERN SUFFOLK...NORTHERN QUEENS...
NORTHERN NASSAU...SOUTHERN QUEENS AND SOUTHERN NASSAU.

FOR MARINE INTERESTS...A HURRICANE WARNING CONTINUES FOR ALL OF LONG ISLAND AND CONNECTICUT COASTAL WATERS AND NEW YORK HARBOR. A TROPICAL STORM WARNING CONTINUES FOR THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS...
WESTERN PASSAIC...ORANGE. A FLOOD WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR ALL OF SOUTHEASTERN NEW YORK...
NORTHEASTERN NEW JERSEY AND SOUTHERN CONNECTICUT. PLEASE LISTEN CLOSELY FOR ANY FLOOD WARNINGS THAT MIGHT BE IN EFFECT FOR YOUR AREA.

A TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTHEASTERN NEW YORK...NORTHEASTERN NEW JERSEY...SOUTHERN CONNECTICUT AND ADJACENT COASTAL WATERS. PLEASE LISTEN CLOSELY FOR ANY TORNADO
WARNINGS THAT MIGHT BE IN EFFECT FOR YOUR AREA.

.STORM INFORMATION...
AT 9 PM EDT...THE CENTER OF HURRICANE IRENE WAS LOCATED NEAR LATITUDE 36.9N...LONGITUDE 75.6W. THIS WAS ABOUT 280 MILES SOUTH-SOUTHWEST OF NEW YORK CITY NY...OR ABOUT 350 MILES SOUTHWEST OF MONTAUK POINT NY. STORM MOTION WAS NNE OR 20 DEGREES AT 16 MPH. STORM INTENSITY WAS 80 MPH.

.SITUATION OVERVIEW...
HURRICANE IRENE CONTINUES TO TRACK NORTH NORTHEAST ALONG THE MID ATLANTIC COAST AND WILL REACH JUST SOUTH OF NEW YORK CITY AND LONG ISLAND BY SUNDAY MORNING. OUTER RAIN BANDS CONTINUE TO MOVE ACROSS
THE AREA THIS EVENING AND INTO TONIGHT. ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS AND TORNADOES ARE POSSIBLE AS THESE BANDS MOVE THROUGH THE AREA. CONDITIONS WILL RAPIDLY DETERIORATE IN TORRENTIAL RAIN AND STRENGTHENING WINDS LATE THIS EVENING INTO TONIGHT. THE WORST CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED LATE TONIGHT INTO SUNDAY AFTERNOON...WITH
DAMAGING WINDS...FLOODING RAINS...AND SIGNIFICANT COASTAL FLOODING.

WHEN MAKING DECISIONS...DO NOT FOCUS ON THE EXACT FORECAST TRACK...AS THE IMPACTS OF THE HURRICANE WILL BE FELT OVER A LARGE AREA DUE TO THE SIZE OF THE STORM.

DEPENDING ON THE EXACT TRACK...INTENSITY AND TIMING OF THE HURRICANE...THERE IS POTENTIAL FOR MODERATE TO MAJOR COASTAL FLOODING DAMAGE IF THE GREATEST SURGE COINCIDES WITH THE TIMES OF
HIGH TIDES ON SUNDAY. THIS SURGE WILL BE EXACERBATED BY ACCOMPANYING LARGE...DESTRUCTIVE...AND LIFE THREATENING WAVES.

THE POTENTIAL EXISTS FOR 6 TO 12 INCHES OF RAIN WITH LOCALLY HIGHER AMOUNTS. BASED ON RECENT HEAVY RAINS...IF THESE RAINFALL AMOUNTS OCCUR...MODERATE TO MAJOR RIVER FLOODING IS LIKELY. SIGNIFICANT AND WIDESPREAD URBAN AND POOR DRAINAGE FLOODING WILL ALSO BE AN ISSUE. AS A RESULT A FLOOD WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT.

.NEXT UPDATE...
THE NEXT LOCAL STATEMENT WILL BE ISSUED BY THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN UPTON AROUND 1230 AM EDT...OR SOONER IF CONDITIONS WARRANT.

NORTHERN FAIRFIELD-NORTHERN NEW HAVEN-NORTHERN MIDDLESEX- NORTHERN NEW LONDON-SOUTHERN FAIRFIELD-SOUTHERN NEW HAVEN- SOUTHERN MIDDLESEX-SOUTHERN NEW LONDON-EASTERN PASSAIC-HUDSON- WESTERN BERGEN-EASTERN BERGEN-WESTERN ESSEX-EASTERN ESSEX- WESTERN UNION-EASTERN UNION-PUTNAM-ROCKLAND-NORTHERN WESTCHESTER-
SOUTHERN WESTCHESTER-NEW YORK (MANHATTAN)-BRONX- RICHMOND (STATEN ISLAND)-KINGS (BROOKLYN)-NORTHWESTERN SUFFOLK-NORTHEASTERN SUFFOLK-SOUTHWESTERN SUFFOLK-SOUTHEASTERN SUFFOLK- NORTHERN QUEENS-NORTHERN NASSAU-SOUTHERN QUEENS-SOUTHERN NASSAU-
913 PM EDT SAT AUG 27 2011

...HURRICANE WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT...
...PROBABILITY OF TROPICAL STORM/HURRICANE CONDITIONS...THE CHANCE FOR HURRICANE CONDITIONS AT THIS TIME IS 3 TO 10 PERCENT. ALSO...THE CHANCE FOR TROPICAL STORM CONDITIONS AT THIS TIME IS UP TO 91 PERCENT.

...WINDS...
AS HURRICANE IRENE APPROACHES...SUSTAINED TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS ARE EXPECTED TO BEGIN LATE THIS EVENING...WITH HURRICANE FORCE WINDS DEVELOPING EARLY SUNDAY MORNING. MAXIMUM WINDS ARE FORECAST TO BE IN THE 55 TO 75 MPH RANGE WITH GUSTS UP TO 85 MPH.

DAMAGING WINDS ARE LIKELY. HOMES MAY HAVE DAMAGE TO SHINGLES... SIDING...GUTTERS AND WINDOWS...ESPECIALLY IF THESE ITEMS ARE NOT PROPERLY SECURED. LOOSE OUTDOOR ITEMS WILL BECOME AIRBORNE...CAUSING ADDITIONAL DAMAGE AND POSSIBLE INJURY. POWER LINES WILL BE KNOCKED DOWN BY FALLING TREES...RESULTING IN WIDESPREAD POWER
OUTAGES. MANY LARGE BRANCHES OF TREES WILL BE SNAPPED...AND A NUMEROUS TREES WILL BE UPROOTED.

...TORNADOES...
ISOLATED TORNADOES ARE POSSIBLE ACROSS LONG ISLAND...COASTAL CONNECTICUT...AND THE NEW YORK CITY METRO AREA AS INTENSE RAIN BANDS MOVE IN FROM THE SOUTH TONIGHT.

...STORM SURGE AND STORM TIDE...
STORM SURGE IS HIGHLY DEPENDENT ON TRACK...INTENSITY...AND SPEED OF THE STORM AS IT APPROACHES THE COAST. THE COMBINED EFFECTS OF STORM SURGE AND STORM TIDE POSE A SERIOUS THREAT WITH SEVERAL FEET OF WATER INUNDATION POSSIBLE ALONG COASTAL LOCATIONS.

BASED ON THE FORECAST TRACK OF HURRICANE IRENE...THERE IS POTENTIAL FOR 4 TO 8 FEET OF SURGE ACROSS WESTERN LONG ISLAND SOUND AND NEW YORK HARBOR...WITH 3 TO 5 FT OF SURGE ALONG THE SOUTH SHORE BAYS OF LONG ISLAND AND NEW YORK CITY...PECONIC AND GARDINERS BAYS...AND EASTERN LONG ISLAND FROM EARLY SUNDAY
MORNING INTO EARLY SUNDAY AFTERNOON. THESE TIDAL CONDITIONS WILL BE AGGRAVATED BY ACCOMPANYING LARGE...DESTRUCTIVE...AND LIFE THREATENING WAVES ON TOP OF THE STORM SURGE.

HIGH TIDE ACROSS NEW YORK HARBOR AND THE SOUTH SHORE OF WESTERN LONG ISLAND IS AROUND 8 AM SUNDAY. IN A WORST CASE SCENARIO...WATER LEVELS OF 8 TO 10 FT ABOVE MSL ARE POSSIBLE.HIGH TIDE ACROSS WESTERN LONG ISLAND SOUND IS AROUND 11 AM SUNDAY. IN A WORST CASE SCENARIO...WATER LEVELS OF 10 TO 11 FT ABOVE MSL ARE POSSIBLE.HIGH TIDE ACROSS EASTERN LONG ISLAND SOUND IS AROUND 9 AM SUNDAY. IN A WORST CASE SCENARIO...WATER LEVELS OF 7 TO 8 FT ABOVE MSL ARE POSSIBLE.THERE IS A 10 PERCENT CHANCE OF OCCURRENCE OF THE WORST CASE
SCENARIO.

...INLAND FLOODING...
A FLOOD WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR THE ENTIRE AREA. RAINFALL AMOUNTS OF 6 TO 12 INCHES WITH LOCALLY HIGHER AMOUNTS ARE EXPECTED. SEE THE LATEST FORECAST FOR THE MOST UPDATED INFORMATION. LISTEN FOR
POSSIBLE FLOOD WARNINGS FOR YOUR LOCATION...AND BE READY TO ACT IF FLOODING RAINS OCCUR....COASTAL HAZARDS...
INCREASINGLY LARGE SWELLS ARRIVING FROM HURRICANE IRENE WILL CREATE HIGH SURF...SIGNIFICANT BEACH EROSION AND WASHOVERS ALONG THE ATLANTIC FACING COASTLINE TONIGHT INTO MONDAY.SIGNIFICANT BEACH EROSION IS ALSO LIKELY ALONG THE COASTLINE OF LONG ISLAND SOUND AND PECONIC AND GARDINERS BAYS DUE TO THE SURGE AND BATTERING SURF.


George Wright is a Certified Consulting Meteorologist for Wright Weather Consulting, LLC. George is also a meteorologist with ABC News and Cablevision News 12. Our website is WrightWeather.com.