2011 Hurricane Season in the US

[Mben]

I wanted to make a quick note for those of you in hurricane country that you all be safe this year. I was shocked that the last hurricane to hit US soil was back in 2008, Hurricane Ike. It just seems that hurricanes happen every year. But I guess the keywords are to hit US soil .Hurricane Irene is about to be the 1st hurricane to hit the US this 2011 season.Stay safe everyone!!!  IRENE SEEN BECOMING MAJOR HURRICANE Irene was a Category 1 hurricane on the five-step Saffir-Simpson scale of intensity, but the NHC saw it strengthening into a Category 3 major hurricane over the Bahamas, with winds over 111 mph.Forecasters said a low pressure trough over the eastern United States was expected to shift Irene's track to the east, reducing the risk of a direct landfall in densely populated south Florida.'

 

[Mben]

Just an update ...............   This is a very large storm, Read said, adding that it could have tropical storm-force winds up to 200 miles from the center of the storm. We're going to have a very large tropical cyclone move up the Eastern Seaboard over the next five to seven days, he said.The current timing of the storm has it striking the coast of the Carolinas on Saturday morning, and the Mid-Atlantic region on Saturday and Sunday, Read said.The Mid-Atlantic region, which has recently had ground-soaking heavy rains, could experience torrential rains and high winds, which could cause flash flooding and falling trees, he said. Fugate said that as the forecast and projected path are updated in the hours and days ahead FEMA officials are ready to work with the National Park Service in case Irene threatens to affect Sunday's official dedication of the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial on the National Mall. President Obama will deliver remarks at the event, which is expected to draw about 200,000 people. We could see impacts in the Sunday time frame, he said, adding that officials are watching to see when and if those impacts could alter or cause any changes.