On the Scene with Irene
Irene is currently a Category 1 hurricane. Rain started at 11:30 pm at our house last night. It's pretty much just a steady rain, but it does tend to get a bit heavier on and off. According to a few different sites we've had about 1.4" so far and they're expecting a total of about 6-12". We're under a flood watch as they expect the storm surge to be 4-8' but our neighborhood is not prone to flooding and we're not near any beaches, inlets, rivers, or lakes (we didn't have any flooding during Isabel in '03). There's a tornado watch in effect until 11am but none actually seen to my knowledge. Current temp is 76 and winds are supposedly 13-24 mph with gusts 29-35 mph. We're positioned in a cul-de-sac with wind protection from other houses and the woods, so we don't tend to get the heavier winds. The weather will really start picking up this afternoon and the eye is expected to be just offshore around 8pm with sustained winds at 57mph with higher gusts. There are scattered power outages around the area, but we still have electricity. Really, it's not too bad at our house.