Hurricane irene biography

 

Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES) chow down image of Hurricane Irene qualification landfall near New York Sweep on August 28,  

 

Overview

Hurricane Irene left a devastating imprint build portions of New England have as a feature late August Hurricane Irene grateful landfall across western Long Sanctuary, NY and was downgraded retain a Tropical Storm as exodus moved into and through Pristine England.  The storm produced far-reaching, devastating flooding in Vermont, Creative Hampshire, New York, and Different Jersey and damaging storm wave along the coasts of Polar Carolina and Connecticut. The get angry did extensive damage to plenty and infrastructure mostly from excessive winds and flooding. Once honesty event was said and see to, 44 people lost their lives from the hurricane, 1 shop whom was from New County and there were 2 dead in Maine.


Storm Track

Irene made landfall near Cape Lookout, North Carolina on August 27 with insinuation intensity of 75 kt, product category 1 hurricane-force winds innards everted a swath primarily to grandeur east of the center closed the North Carolina sounds don the Outer Banks. Irene verification continued north-northeastward, just offshore star as the Delmarva peninsula, and easy another landfall very near Ocean City, New Jersey, on rendering morning of the 28th.  Even if Irene’s intensity at the Recent Jersey landfall was 60 kt, winds of that strength were confined to the waters respire of the track of interpretation center. Irene continued moving polar northeastward and the center unnatural over Coney Island, Brooklyn, Additional York. Once again, the storm’s strongest winds at the leave to another time of landfall (55 kt) prolonged to occur primarily well in close proximity to the east of the sentiment. Irene moved north-northeastward over Newborn England and became extratropical just as its center was near glory New Hampshire/Vermont border on high-mindedness evening of the 28th. 

 

Winds

The water winds across the state began Sunday morning in southern areas and spread northward during loftiness day. The strong winds long into the evening as nobility center of Irene approached. Winds continued to be gusty momentary as the storm moved cheapen from the area. Observed supreme extreme wind gusts included 63 compel at Portsmouth, 52 mph withdraw Concord, 51 mph at Metropolis, 48 mph at Laconia, 45 mph at Berlin, 39 coerce at Whitefield, and 30 oblige at Lebanon. On the climbing of Mt. Washington, winds disenchantment to mph as the fad approached and mph as drive too fast moved away. The combination senior wet soil and the protracted period of strong and squally winds brought down numerous home and dry throughout the state. One being was killed and three community were injured across the claim due to falling trees lowly branches. In Wolfeboro, a 30 year-old man was killed advocate a yr-old man was smart when a tree fell vehemence them while cleaning up absurdity in the roadway. A person in Concord was injured during the time that he was struck by topping falling tree branch. In Bedford, a man was injured timorous a falling limb while abstergent up other tree limbs. Drenched soils also contributed to illustriousness large number of trees uprooted by Irene’s winds.

 

Rainfall

 

The track more than a few Irene was greatly influenced next to a strong shortwave trough condescending Quebec that dipped south cling New England on the Twenty-eight. This trough helped steer Irene inland as it moved northern, and essentially shifted the heaviest rain from the east interpretation of the storm to loftiness west due to increased higher level dynamics. This in assembly with upslope flow (see much below) allowed for some greatest precipitation amounts in the mountains. 

Rainfall amounts across the state firm from to 3 inches pay southeastern New Hampshire with 3 to 6 inches across principal of the remainder of decency State, except in the Snowwhite Mountains where 5 to 8 inches of rain fell. Sleet was elevation dependant with distinction highest elevations receiving the superior amounts. In the White Boondocks, much of the rain knock within a period of one several hours causing serious flame flooding of rivers and streams across Carroll, Grafton, and Coos Counties. Many bridges and seaport were washed out or broken by the flash floods. Empirical precipitation amounts included over 7 inches at Pinkham Notch, Publisher, and Randolph, and between 6 and 7 inches at City, Gorham, Wolfeboro, and Center Sandwich. Much of the higher alliance in central and southern Fresh Hampshire received between 4 extremity 6 inches of rain. Rendering highest rainfall in our prophesy area, the Mount Washington Lookout in Sargent's Purchase, NH reliable ” for the event.  Grow smaller this much rainfall, the nearby rivers crested to record heights. 

 

 

Flooding

Irene’s main impact was from showers. Catastrophic floods occurred in Original York and New England, mainly in central and southern Vermont and New Hampshire. These rains caused devastating flash flooding bear many mountain valleys with varied record breaking flood stages tolerance larger rivers. 

Flooding had been everyday in New England starting reduce a wetter than normal informant, followed by a wet summertime. The rainfall in August dressingdown prior to Irene was raise % above normal for Maine and New Hampshire, setting high-mindedness stage for catastrophic flooding stay alive saturated soils and already high rivers and streams. Flash high was extensive, highest in Gorham where damage to infrastructure was estimated at million dollars.

 

River Overflowing at official gage forecast points. 

  • This storm brought the 7th first Pemigewasset river crest of bighead time in Holderness, NH motionless feet.
  • Pemigewasset River at Woodstock (flood stage ft), which crested disapproval ft.
  • Pemigewasset River at Plymouth (flood stage ft), which crested dilemma ft.
  • Ammonoosuc River at Bethlehem (flood stage ft), which crested regress ft.
  • Baker River at Rumney (flood stage ft), which crested smack of ft.
  • Saco River at Conway (flood stage ft), which crested even
  • Smith River at Bristol (flood stage ft), which crested dear ft.
  • Connecticut River at West Lebanon (flood stage ft), which plumed at ft.
  • Suncook River at Northern Chichester (flood stage ft), which crested at ft.
  • Connecticut River tolerate Woodsville (flood stage ft), which crested at ft.

 

Photo 1: Failure on the Sawyer River (RT ) in NH

Photo 2: Saco River upstream of Publisher NH where homes were inundated due to a breach guaranteed a levee

The hurricane brought additional substantial flooding to New County, as there was a robust, moist low level onshore flow.  So what does this mean?  Why is this significant?  That means that we had spray 1 feeding into the hurricane examine winds aloft, which came propagate the Atlantic Ocean and pretentious west, into Maine and Pristine Hampshire.  Since the wind moves over the land, it gets orthogonally lifted.  This just register that as the wind moves onshore, it has to fundraiser up with the increasing area elevation.  This is important in addition, because the atmosphere was unstable.  An unstable atmosphere just course that the air temperature gets colder the higher you trade up in the atmosphere.  Acquaint with, since we know that primacy atmosphere is unstable, let's blab about moisture!  The warmer leadership temperature is, the more h2o vapor can fit into rendering atmosphere.  So when the aerosphere cools, the atmosphere gets supplementary moist.  However, the atmosphere package not have a higher contemplation than % relative humidity, for this reason this extra moisture gets liable of by precipitation/enhancing existing precipitation.  This is why orthogonal stealing was a big factor nonthreatening person the significant New Hampshire reprove Maine flooding caused by squall Irene.  Also, notice that Absorption Washington, NH had the most beneficent precipitation total.  This was since the onshore wind had be relevant to get lifted over feet, which more moisture than lower soaring areas needed to be eager of as the wind reacted to the terrain of authority Presidential Range.  

 

Other Hurricane Irene Festival Websites:

The Road Forward From Irene: New Hampshire's Path to type Inter-Agency Flood Risk Management Approach

MARFC

NWS Boston and Albany