Hurricane Irene to Slam Into the Carolinas
By Alex Sosnowski, Expert Senior Meteorologist
Aug 22, 2011; 8:57 PM ET
As Irene continues north late in the week, more of a curve to the north with time will open up the window for landfall in the Carolinas. A larger version of this map can be viewed in the AccuWeather.com Hurricane Center.It appears Irene will take a more typical path into the Carolinas, perhaps as a major hurricane this weekend, rather than plow into Florida as a minimal system late this week.
Given the setup in the atmosphere as well as where hurricanes have traveled from similar starting points, negotiating the Antilles, Irene may take a path similar to Hurricane Bertha in 1996.
People in the eastern part of the Carolinas, especially the coastal areas and barrier islands from the Myrtle Beach area on northeast, should begin making preparations for a possible hurricane landfall that brings 100-mph winds or greater, storm surge flooding, torrential rainfall and possible tornadoes.
People in these areas should be prepared to evacuate, in case the order is given.
As we often see with a hurricane moving along this sort of path, the worst conditions will be near, north and east of the center of circulation.
Storms moving in this manner along the East Coast of the United States tend to become lop-sided with dry air sweeping in west and southwest of the center promoting sunny skies.
This sort of setup could deprive some areas of the interior South of needed rainfall.
That being said, there can still be areas of damaging winds 100 miles west of the center with rough surf-related issues along the eastern Florida and Georgia coasts.
A track of this nature is likely to down trees and power lines and can damage buildings, port structures and small craft.
According to Hurricane Expert, Dan Kottlowski, "Since Irene is moving away from the Greater Antilles over warm open waters, the storm is likely to intensify and become a major (Category 3) hurricane."
There are other ramifications as the storm is not likely to stop in the Carolinas. It is very possible strong tropical storm or even hurricane conditions will continue to spread up the Atlantic Seaboard.
If the fast forward motion of the storm continues, it could spread damage, including that of downed trees, power lines and coastal flooding issues, into the mid-Atlantic late this weekend and into southern and eastern New England by early next week.
There is a possibility the center of Irene may try to parallel the Carolina coast at the last minute.
People in the eastern part of the Carolinas, especially the coastal areas and barrier islands from the Myrtle Beach area on northeast, should begin making preparations for a possible hurricane landfall that brings 100-mph winds or greater, storm surge flooding, torrential rainfall and possible tornadoes.
People in these areas should be prepared to evacuate, in case the order is given.
As we often see with a hurricane moving along this sort of path, the worst conditions will be near, north and east of the center of circulation.
Storms moving in this manner along the East Coast of the United States tend to become lop-sided with dry air sweeping in west and southwest of the center promoting sunny skies.
This sort of setup could deprive some areas of the interior South of needed rainfall.
That being said, there can still be areas of damaging winds 100 miles west of the center with rough surf-related issues along the eastern Florida and Georgia coasts.
A track of this nature is likely to down trees and power lines and can damage buildings, port structures and small craft.
According to Hurricane Expert, Dan Kottlowski, "Since Irene is moving away from the Greater Antilles over warm open waters, the storm is likely to intensify and become a major (Category 3) hurricane."
There are other ramifications as the storm is not likely to stop in the Carolinas. It is very possible strong tropical storm or even hurricane conditions will continue to spread up the Atlantic Seaboard.
If the fast forward motion of the storm continues, it could spread damage, including that of downed trees, power lines and coastal flooding issues, into the mid-Atlantic late this weekend and into southern and eastern New England by early next week.
There is a possibility the center of Irene may try to parallel the Carolina coast at the last minute.
