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Title: Hurricane Irene: Prepare For A Category 4 'Major Hurricane'
Source:
Los Angeles Times
URL Source: http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/nat ... are-for-a-major-hurricane.html
Published: Aug 23, 2011
Author: Los Angeles Times
Post Date: 2011-08-23 11:53:58 by Brian S
Keywords: None
Views: 370
Comments: 2
Hurricane Irene continues to grow in strength and ferocity and is now on track to become a Category 4 hurricane, authorities said. Fueled by warm waters and nothing to slow it down, the hurricane is taking a path that will likely skirt Florida and head straight for the Carolinas, with landfall this weekend. The National Hurricane Center warns that the storm remains unpredictable and is urging East Coast residents to closely track the first major hurricane of the 2011 season as it heads toward the United States so that they can be prepared for impact. The storm, which is now a Category 2 hurricane, is moving at about 12 mph and is currently north of the Dominican Republic, said National Hurricane Center spokesman Dennis Feltgen in an interview with The Times. Unfortunately, that means "it's moving into an environment which is very ideal for strengthening. ... We expect it to become a Category 4 hurricane as it passes east of central Florida." The warm ocean waters and very low wind shear are the two key factors driving the hurricane, he said. High wind shear could help disrupt the storm, scattering it. "We expect the storm to stay off the coast of Florida, which is good news for Florida. But it's still looking like it's going to impact the Carolinas and could make landfall there as a major hurricane."
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#1. To: Brian S (#0)
this is going to devastate the Bahamas and the outer banks.
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MIAMI (AP) -- Federal officials are warning that the first hurricane to seriously threaten the U.S. in three years could cause flooding and other impacts from Florida to New England. Craig Fugate, the administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, says people along the entire Eastern Seaboard need to pay attention to Irene. Fugate says that hurricanes are not only a "Southern thing" and that Irene could affect the Mid-Atlantic and northeast coast. National Hurricane Center director Bill Read says even farther north, the Atlantic waters can be warm enough to keep Irene churning as a hurricane. Hurricanes typically can maintain or gain strength over warmer waters. Current tracks have Irene making landfall in North Carolina, though such projections are less reliable several days in advance. THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below. Never swear "allegiance" to anything other than the 'right to change your mind'!
#2. To: All, FEMA Chief, Irene Could Affect Entire East Coast (#0)
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