Irene – I’ve Got Stuff To Do

Everything continues on schedule. The computer models are reasonably in alignment.

Helaine and I are just finishing the last of our preps for Hurricane Irene. There’s not much we can do beyond the superficial. Everything that can be moved inside is now inside.

We have 90 foot oaks front and back. I hope they survive. I can’t bring them inside and I’m hopeful they don’t come in on their own!

Everything continues on schedule. The computer models are reasonably in alignment.

The first of the rain bands has arrived. Some parts of the state have 2″ of rain already. That’s not good, especially with the ground already saturated.

I don’t expect much significant wind until early Sunday morning with the storm peaking, not ending, by early afternoon.

I just took a look at the tide gauges in New Haven, New London and Bridgeport. They are now 6″ to 1′ above normal and rising. That’s more than I would have expected, though I honestly didn’t make an exact prediction for this afternoon.

Water levels will be a critical part of this story. Coastal flooding looks likely unless Hurricane Irene unexpectedly jogs right.

If you live anywhere near the water please take heed of warnings. If you wait for the water to rise before you leave exit routes might be cut-off!

At this point I think Hurricane Irene will come in with comparable wind to Hurricane Gloria. This storm will have a longer duration and more rain. Gloria produced a fraction of the rain predicted. The damage this weekend should be comparable or more than what we got in 1985.

A viewer sent a friend at the old station a screencap of me from Hurricane Gloria. Even Helaine remarked how young I looked. That was 26 years ago. Crazy.

I’ll be on FoxCT this evening, returning tomorrow afternoon. We will be staffed with meteorologists and reporters around-the-clock and plan a long stretch of live coverage (much also broadcast on WTIC-AM 1080 kHz).

20 thoughts on “Irene – I’ve Got Stuff To Do”

  1. Geoff, I can’t tell you how happy I am that you are on the air for this. I just don’t like to go through a hurricane with anyone else at the “helm”.

  2. I agree Geoff, I’ve done what I can to prepare, but the 90+ foot trees I have all over make me nervous. They are so pretty most of the year, but when a storm like this shows up, they are ominous.
    Thanks for keeping us well informed and keeping calm while providing us with all the info we need to stay safe and stressing the importance of being prepared. I can’t stand some of the reports that are more like “the sky is falling – run!” Those are really disturbing – and annoying.

  3. At the risk of sounding like a “mom”, how are you going to get to Hartford tomorrow afternoon? It will be, like, in the MIDDLE OF A HURRICANE!!

  4. Got the 90-foot trees and a sump pump without a battery backup. All efforts to find a generator have been fruitless. Nevertheless, I am hoping for more wind and less rain.

  5. Hurricane Gloria was my 1st major storm. I was scared out of my mind. I was at home with my family, watching Geoff Fox the entire time. My mom, dad & brother all fell asleep while I was sat there in terror, dreading the worse. Geoff, you were my only human contact during one of the scarest memories of my life, and for that I still remember you fondly to this day.

  6. I too like most of New England am surrounded by trees. I moved my car out of the vicinity of any of them. I can’t move the house. I will head down the cellar if any of them start to sway. Good luck to everybody. Try and stay calm.

  7. Have a 20 year old generator that wouldn’t start. Finally did some carb work and we are all set. (thanks to a great son) At 60 years old I remember a lot of the stuff that has happened around here in CT. Carol, Donna, Bob, Gloria. How about Storm Felix (Ice and Tons of it-’73 I think) That was really nasty, people were doing some really strange things trying to keep their homes warm. Then their was the blizzard of 78 and Flood of 84. In the Cromwell FD back then.

  8. I remember Gloria too.I was really disappointed by it. I was in college and delivering newspapers part time. I went out the morning Gloria was due to hit, delivered my papers, went home and went to bed as I always did. I woke up around Noon and asked my mom what was going on. She said the eye was over us. I figured there’s be a few more hours of storm but Gloria broke up after making landfall and there was nothing more to it. I was disappointed. I missed it! I SLEPT THROUGH IT! Not to make light of whatever other people went through of course.
    I told this story to the guys at work and I asked how old they were and my boss said ‘Umm….I was 4.’ OUCH! Geoff you’re not the ONLY one cringing at how much time has passed.
    I’m actually worried about the stray cats at work. I wanted to try and catch them to get them inside but they weren’t having any of it so I just put extra food out and hopefully I’ll be able to check on them sometime tomorrow.

  9. Geoff,

    Wasn’t there alrady a Hurricane Irene in 2005? I thought they didn’t use the names more than once. Can you shed light?

  10. I work for a porta-pottie company. We have been picking up the units we could (larger clusters of them got priority) all week. Those who called Thursday were fit in yesterday and today; but those who called Fri and today, outta luck. One lady called me this morning and asked for a pickup. I explained why we couldn’t go out there to get it.

    She asked me what happens if it gets picked up in the wind, will the “contents” go flying around? I responded “Ma’am, if one of our portapotties gets airborne, the contents spewing out of it are the least of our problems”!

  11. Hey Geoff! What are the chances of Irene possibly gaining some strength while she is over the Atlantic before she makes landfall in CT??

  12. I remeber Gloria, too. I was on the “safe” side of Sutton Towers up on the hill on Mix Avenue.
    I specifically remember that as soon as the wind really started to howl, the outdoors smelled like a lumberyard from all the pine trees being stripped of their needles. Also remember some smallish trees having been ripped up and rolling down the driveway!
    For that reason, I put plywood on my big picture window that faces East right into the initial brunt, if predictions are right.I’d rather be safe than have to evacuate with all of my pets in the middle of this storm!!
    Geoff, I really appreciate you being there for all of us during any weather event. You are the glue that binds so many of us together! Thank you!

  13. This weather event and how you have,are and will help us through it must give the WTNH honchos a severe case of regret and and good dose of “OMG what did we do!??!!” So glad you outsmarted those morons and are on Fox. Stay safe and keep us allthe same way.

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