Will Hurricane Irene Underperform?

I’m seeing a lot of Gloria in Irene. I suspect the backend won’t give us much rain. That was the case in 1985.

I am at my desk at work. Rachel’s here too. Mostly we’re planning what we’ll do at 10p. Truth is there’s not much any of us can do right now. Hurricane Irene will do what she will do.

I’m seeing a lot of Gloria in Irene. I suspect the backend won’t give us much rain. That was the case in 1985. Hurricane Gloria pulled north and the rain stopped really quickly.

Rainfall will probably be less than forecast too. 3-6″ is a lot, but it looked worse earlier.

The wind will still be strong. There won’t be a lot of hurricane force wind felt here, but a significant part of the state will receive sustained winds strong enough to do damage.

Hurricane Irene is moving slower than Gloria. That’s bad for us. The duration of wind will be greater. More water will pile into Long Island Sound.

Tides are only around 6″ above normal now–but the wind hasn’t started. High tide tomorrow morning will be bad for some water view residents.

Sunday was still be awful, but not as awful as anticipated.

26 thoughts on “Will Hurricane Irene Underperform?”

  1. THANK YOU GEOFF! I can’t tell you enough how reassuring those words are coming from you. You got me through Gloria as a kid, and reading this now will ease so much of the fear that has been boiling all day.

      1. It is better to overstate and save lives than downplay a threat and lose lives. Geoff takes his responsibility VERY seriously (I’ve known him since we were both infants) and gets his ratings through his integrity, not sensationalism. You really do owe him an apology.

      2. WTG, Geoff. If they had a “most trusted person in Connecticut” survey, my money would be on you winning it. Not to mention that you really know meteorology better than anyone else and prove it every day.

  2. So glad you are with us during this one, I always look to you for the real deal. You are a very reputable source for Connecticut’s weather needs.
    Thank you!

  3. Geoff with all that has gone on in the state this week I am reminded of this quote by Henry David Thoreau: “I omit the unusual – the hurricanes and earthquakes – and describe the common… You may have the extraordinary for your province, if you will let me have the ordinary.”

  4. Geoff, thanks so much for being there when we need you! I’ve been a bundle of nerves all week, this is my first hurricane! Coming from the Midwest, this is all new! And quite scary! But I’ve been following your blog updates about Irene, and it’s nice to know someone’s got our back, not out to scare us! 🙂 I’m hoping she passes without much incident and we escape mostly unscathed! (the whole lot of us!)

  5. @Kris, your certainly entitled to your opinion but unlike yourself, I am not interested in debating the obvious to someone with the intelligence of an orange ……. that would be YOU! Sometimes the truth hurts ……. im sure you get told that all the time.

  6. Can you please e-mail a copy of this to the WTNH weather desk and tell them to calm the f*** down! Gil’s still spouting off about ‘hurricane winds’ and ’12 inches of rain’.

  7. Many thanks for taking the time to continue to update us! My ten year old has been so nervous and this latest information has soothed him quite a bit. You are terrific!!

  8. Just watched you on TV…thanks for giving the timing of the heavy rain and timing of the heavy winds. You are the only one that has done that. With this hitting us overnight, that is helpful for a better night’s sleep! I hope you get some too!

    Sally – I’m with you on TWC channel giving a scary forecast…just read it online, jeez!!

    Jessica – welcome to CT. You found the right meteorologist!!

  9. I’ve heard suggestions the size of the hurricane has increased by 10% since it hit land (not the winds just the physical area covered) I just wondered if you can confirm or deny this..

  10. This is very reassuring right before I go to sleep. We are well prepared but of course uneasy. We’ve been in CT less than 2 years and after this winter and now Irene we really want to get back to California. No offense but I want to live near your daughter again and not you! I wonder if Gloria was preceeded by a particularly terrible winter? So far it seems like everything has been “the worst we’ve ever seen” by the accounts of CT natives. Looking forward to a mild winter this year. We deserve it. Thanks Geoff.

  11. thanks for the updates, yours seem to be on target, spoke with a friend in Williamsburg VA around 8pm they just lost power… they are getting the rain and winds but doesnt seem to be as bad as expected.

  12. Tis 11:45 in the NW corner, just starting to get light rain, no wind as yet… still have my candles ready just in case, but glad to hear they may not be needed.

  13. Just looked at Irene on Google Earth and was surprised at how much more far-flung the storm has become since it left North Carolina. Measured the width of the storm using Google Earth’s ruler. It came out to 1, 582.79 linear miles. Wow!

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