Some of you might remember Gloria. Some, like myself, might not. The only thing I remember from Hurricane Gloria is from what my mother told me (In my defense, I was only 2). My parents current house in West Roxbury lost power when a power line came down in the backyard and electrified the metal chain link fence. This story, along with my patched together memories of Hurricane Bob (1991) fueled my love of weather. In this, I have no doubt.
But regardless of my passion's origins, I bring up Gloria with good reason. Irene is doing her best to copy Gloria, only 25 years later.
Gloria was actually a tropical storm by the time it affected Boston, but this fact is always omitted whenever I have heard stories about her. It is with this fact that I bring to attention Irene's current weakening state.
It is likely that Irene makes landfall somewhere near New London, CT. Matt Noyes of NECN has been calling for this in excess of 60 hours now, despite the National Hurricane Center's projected Irene path to cross over NYC.
Wether or not Irene is a hurricane or a tropical storm at her time of impact is a non factor. She will be so big, and so spread out that she will have essentially taken her strongest winds(at the core) and averaged them out in a radius of 200 miles. Her overall category might be lowered, but our impacts remain the same. Irene will cause wind damage, storm surge and flash flooding, regardless of her classification.
I do caution people to take her seriously. Many friends and family members have asked me what to expect. I don't envision any doomsday senario that some media outlets might be portraying. But I also don't expect Irene to miss us completely like that which has happened in the last 20 years of the Atlantic Hurricane season. Yes, the last hurricane to actually hit us was Bob in 1991.
The point I am trying to make is this. Irene might not be a fiercely sounding storm by the time she hits come Sunday morning. But her force will be felt by us all. Tropical systems pack a strong punch. Boston will be subject to heavy (40-50mph) sustained winds. Yes, SUSTAINED. That means that at one particular time on Sunday, the wind will be blowing at a consistent speed of 40-50mph. Not gusting but consistent. That will cause some damage. Don't be surprised if you lose power.
Take caution! Listen to local weather forecasts for updates. Irene is coming on Sunday morning. She won't knock us out but she will deliver quite the blow. No pun intended of course.
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