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First an earthquake — now a hurricane!
Hurricane Irene is barreling toward the New York area, and will likely wallop the city with winds of up to 50 mph and 4 to 8 inches of rain this weekend.
Weather watchers nudged her track a bit farther east yesterday afternoon, predicting that Irene’s eye — the center of the storm — will pass over Montauk, bringing winds between 90 and 110 mph.
Heavy rainfall is expected to start after midnight Saturday night and last until Sunday evening.
Irene could hit North Carolina’s Outer Banks on Saturday afternoon with winds around 115 mph. It’s predicted to chug up the East Coast, dumping rain from Virginia to New York City before a much-weakened form reaches land in Connecticut. Finally, it should peter out in Maine by Monday afternoon.
A hurricane watch was issued early Thursday for much of the North Carolina coast including the Outer Banks. A hurricane watch means hurricane conditions are possible within 36 hours. Also, a tropical storm watch was issued for much of South Carolina’s coast.
Weather-wise New Yorkers weren’t taking any chances that Irene will blow out to sea.
“If you were a gambler, I think you could give odds that it’s going to be windy and rainy here, at least. It’s a big storm, even if it’s off shore,” said Charlie Hurd, of the City Island Yacht Club in The Bronx.
Club members got an e-mail yesterday asking them to check their moorings and reduce their boats’ “windage” — that is, anything that might be blown around by strong gusts.
“Sustained winds of this strength will find any weakness — count on it,” the e-mail said.
City officials say they’re preparing for the worst, and are ready to evacuate as many as 75,000 people from areas prone to storm surges — massive ocean upswells, 5 to 7 feet high, that can flood low-lying land.
“Surge is perhaps the most damaging and most dangerous thing that can happen in a city that has low-lying areas,” said Joseph Bruno, commissioner of the city’s Office of Emergency Management.
“The sense is that we’re going to be facing a strong tropical storm in New York City, which would bring winds from 40 to 50 to 60 miles per hour and could bring rain from 6 to 12 inches,” he said.
In Springfield Gardens, Queens, rain almost always brings flooding — and the advancing hurricane set residents scrambling to be ready.
“I’m stocked up on food and canned goods,” said Allen Ortiz. He has built a cinderblock wall several inches high to keep his driveway from flooding, and set up two pumps to clear water out of his basement.
And storm-savvy New Yorkers were also stocking up yesterday at the Home Depot in Ozone Park. Clifford Singh, who lives nearby, bought several flashlights. Singh is originally from the British Virgin Islands, where they know hurricanes. “I’ve bought water, groceries, everything,” he said. “I always stock up.”
Early Thursday, the storm was thrashing the Bahamas with widespread damage reported on at least two southern islands. It was a powerful Category 3 hurricane with winds at 115 mph. Forecasters said the winds will ramp up quickly over the next day and Irene was expected to blow into a monstrous Category 4 with winds at least 131 mph. The storm will likely be downgraded to a Category 2 when it reaches the Northeast.
While some people prepare, others are holding off hurricane-related decision-making.
Organizers of the Dave Matthews Band concerts on Governors Island this weekend hadn’t decided yesterday whether to postpone or cancel.
Officials of the Barclays golf tournament in Plainfield, NJ, expect it’ll be rained out this weekend, but as of yesterday they hadn’t officially decided to call off play.
Although Irene is expected to cause damage, the odds appear against a direct hit on the city.
The Navy last night ordered its Second Fleet in Norfolk, Va., to move its ships out of Irene’s path.
Meanwhile, a new tropical depression formed far out over the Atlantic early Thursday, with the National Hurricane Center saying it would likely become a tropical storm later in the day.