As Hurricane Irene approaches the North Carolina Coastal areas, Kenny Griffin, staff tourism meteorologist for Appnet, a North Carolina web design and tourism marketing company who owns grandstrandcams.com, has been monitoring and issuing tourism related advisories on Hurricane Irene since Monday. Appnet President Mike Doble announced on Tuesday that all North Carolina tourism web cams, as well as all South Carolina live web cams, and Myrtle Beach Web Cams would not only be available free of charge to the public as usual, but Appnet has been and will continue to provide written up-dates for viewers of the North Carolina Hurricane Irene Web Cams, especially s they pertain to Hurricane Irene Tourism Effects on North Carolina.
The safety of residents and visitors is the number-one priority. While Appnet is a tourism promotional company, the highest priority is life safety. The Wrightsville Beach NC Hurricane Irene Cams and the Morehead City Yacht Basin Hurricane Irene Web Cam allow viewers to see in real time the effects of Hurricane Irene on the North Carolina Coast.
EVACUATIONS: As of Friday afternoon Mandatory and/or voluntary evacuations of residents and visitors are in effect for the following areas:
Camden County – partial (Camden)
Carteret County (Atlantic Beach, Bogue Banks, Morehead City)
Currituck County (Carova Beach, Corolla)
Dare County (Kill Devil Hills, Nags Head, Hatteras)
Hyde County (Ocracoke Island)
Beaufort County (Bath, Washington)
Brunswick County (Holden Beach, Oak Island & Caswell Beach)
New Hanover – partial (Carolina Beach)
Pamlico County (Oriental)
Pasquotank County – partial (Elizabeth City)
Pender County (Topsail Beach)
Perquimans County (Hertford)
Tyrrell County (Columbia)
All ferry routes along the North Carolina coast are being suspended ahead of Hurricane Irene.
Listed below is the latest public information bulletin provided by the National Weather Service.
BULLETIN
HURRICANE IRENE INTERMEDIATE ADVISORY NUMBER 26A
NWS NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL AL092011
800 PM EDT FRI AUG 26 2011
…IRENE TURNS TOWARD THE NORTH-NORTHEAST…TROPICAL STORM
CONDITIONS SPREADING INLAND OVER SOUTHEASTERN NORTH CAROLINA…
SUMMARY OF 800 PM EDT…0000 UTC…INFORMATION
———————————————-
LOCATION…32.1N 77.2W
ABOUT 180 MI…290 KM SSW OF CAPE LOOKOUT NORTH CAROLINA
ABOUT 235 MI…380 KM SSW OF CAPE HATTERAS NORTH CAROLINA
MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS…100 MPH…160 KM/H
PRESENT MOVEMENT…NNE OR 15 DEGREES AT 14 MPH…22 KM/H
MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE…950 MB…28.05 INCHES
WATCHES AND WARNINGS
——————–
CHANGES IN WATCHES AND WARNINGS WITH THIS ADVISORY…
NONE.
SUMMARY OF WATCHES AND WARNINGS IN EFFECT…
A HURRICANE WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR…
* LITTLE RIVER INLET NORTH CAROLINA NORTHWARD TO SAGAMORE BEACH
MASSACHUSETTS…INCLUDING THE PAMLICO…ALBEMARLE…AND CURRITUCK
SOUNDS…DELAWARE BAY…CHESAPEAKE BAY SOUTH OF DRUM POINT…NEW
YORK CITY…LONG ISLAND…LONG ISLAND SOUND…COASTAL CONNECTICUT
AND RHODE ISLAND…BLOCK ISLAND…MARTHAS VINEYARD AND NANTUCKET.
A TROPICAL STORM WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR…
* NORTH OF EDISTO BEACH SOUTH CAROLINA TO LITTLE RIVER INLET
* CHESAPEAKE BAY FROM DRUM POINT NORTHWARD AND THE TIDAL POTOMAC
* NORTH OF SAGAMORE BEACH TO MERRIMACK RIVER
A TROPICAL STORM WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR…
* MERRIMACK RIVER TO EASTPORT MAINE
INTERESTS IN SOUTHEASTERN CANADA SHOULD MONITOR THE PROGRESS OF
IRENE.
FOR STORM INFORMATION SPECIFIC TO YOUR AREA IN THE UNITED
STATES…INCLUDING POSSIBLE INLAND WATCHES AND WARNINGS…PLEASE
MONITOR PRODUCTS ISSUED BY YOUR LOCAL NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE
FORECAST OFFICE. FOR STORM INFORMATION SPECIFIC TO YOUR AREA OUTSIDE
THE UNITED STATES…PLEASE MONITOR PRODUCTS ISSUED BY YOUR NATIONAL
METEOROLOGICAL SERVICE.
DISCUSSION AND 48-HOUR OUTLOOK
——————————
AT 800 PM EDT…0000 UTC…THE CENTER OF HURRICANE IRENE WAS LOCATED
NEAR LATITUDE 32.1 NORTH…LONGITUDE 77.2 WEST. IRENE IS MOVING
TOWARD THE NORTH-NORTHEAST NEAR 14 MPH…22 KM/H…AND THIS GENERAL
MOTION IS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE TONIGHT AND EARLY SATURDAY. ON THE
FORECAST TRACK…THE CORE OF THE HURRICANE WILL APPROACH THE COAST
OF NORTH CAROLINA TONIGHT AND PASS NEAR OR OVER THE NORTH CAROLINA
COAST ON SATURDAY. THE HURRICANE IS FORECAST TO MOVE NEAR OR OVER
THE MID-ATLANTIC COAST SATURDAY NIGHT AND MOVE OVER SOUTHERN NEW
ENGLAND ON SUNDAY.
MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS REMAIN NEAR 100 MPH…160 KM/H…WITH HIGHER
GUSTS. IRENE IS A CATEGORY TWO HURRICANE ON THE SAFFIR-SIMPSON
HURRICANE WIND SCALE. LITTLE CHANGE IN STRENGTH IS FORECAST BEFORE
IRENE REACHES THE COAST OF NORTH CAROLINA. SOME WEAKENING IS
EXPECTED AFTER THAT…BUT IRENE IS FORECAST TO REMAIN A HURRICANE
AS IT MOVES ALONG THE MID-ATLANTIC COAST ON SUNDAY.
IRENE IS A LARGE TROPICAL CYCLONE. HURRICANE-FORCE WINDS EXTEND
OUTWARD UP TO 90 MILES…150 KM…FROM THE CENTER…AND
TROPICAL-STORM-FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 290 MILES…465 KM.
DURING THE PAST HOUR…A SUSTAINED WIND OF 52 MPH…84 KM/H…AND A
GUST TO 62 MPH…100 KM/H WERE REPORTED AT THE JOHNNY MERCER PIER
IN WRIGHTSVILLE BEACH NORTH CAROLINA.
THE MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE RECENTLY REPORTED BY AIR FORCE RESERVE
AND NOAA HURRICANE HUNTER AIRCRAFT WAS 950 MB…28.05 INCHES.
HAZARDS AFFECTING LAND
———————-
WIND…TROPICAL-STORM-FORCE WINDS WILL CONTINUE TO SPREAD INLAND
OVER THE SOUTHERN PORTION OF THE WARNING AREA TONIGHT.
HURRICANE-FORCE WINDS ARE EXPECTED TO FIRST REACH THE HURRICANE
WARNING AREA LATE TONIGHT. TROPICAL-STORM-FORCE WINDS ARE EXPECTED
TO BEGIN ALONG THE MID-ATLANTIC COAST LATE TONIGHT WITH HURRICANE
CONDITIONS EXPECTED BY SATURDAY AFTERNOON. TROPICAL STORM
CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED TO REACH SOUTHERN NEW ENGLAND SATURDAY
NIGHT WITH HURRICANE CONDITIONS EXPECTED ON SUNDAY.
STORM SURGE…AN EXTREMELY DANGEROUS STORM SURGE WILL RAISE WATER
LEVELS BY AS MUCH AS 6 TO 11 FEET ABOVE GROUND LEVEL IN THE
HURRICANE WARNING AREA IN NORTH CAROLINA…INCLUDING THE ALBEMARLE
AND PAMLICO SOUNDS. STORM SURGE WILL RAISE WATER LEVELS BY AS MUCH
AS 4 TO 8 FEET ABOVE GROUND LEVEL WITHIN THE HURRICANE WARNING AREA
FROM THE NORTH CAROLINA/VIRGINIA BORDER NORTHWARD TO CAPE COD
INCLUDING SOUTHERN PORTIONS OF THE CHESAPEAKE BAY AND ITS
TRIBUTARIES. NEAR THE COAST…THE SURGE WILL BE ACCOMPANIED BY
LARGE…DESTRUCTIVE…AND LIFE-THREATENING WAVES. STORM SURGE
VALUES ARE VERY LOCATION-SPECIFIC…AND USERS ARE URGED TO CONSULT
PRODUCTS ISSUED BY THEIR LOCAL NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OFFICES.
RAINFALL…IRENE IS EXPECTED TO PRODUCE RAINFALL ACCUMULATIONS OF
6 TO 10 INCHES…WITH ISOLATED MAXIMUM AMOUNTS OF 15 INCHES…FROM
EASTERN NORTH CAROLINA NORTHWARD THROUGH THE MID-ATLANTIC STATES
INTO NEW ENGLAND THROUGH MONDAY MORNING. THESE RAINS COULD
CAUSE WIDESPREAD FLOODING AND LIFE-THREATENING FLASH FLOODS.
SURF…LARGE SWELLS GENERATED BY IRENE ARE AFFECTING PORTIONS OF THE
COAST OF THE SOUTHEASTERN UNITED STATES. THESE SWELLS WILL CAUSE
LIFE-THREATENING SURF AND RIP CURRENT CONDITIONS.
TORNADOES…ISOLATED TORNADOES ARE POSSIBLE OVER EXTREME EASTERN
NORTH CAROLINA LATE TONIGHT AND SATURDAY.
