24 August 2011

Category Three Irene Plows Through Bahamas

Posted by Dan Satterfield

 

Irene from the ISS. If you click the image it gets much bigger.

Image from NASA Goddard- click image for full resolution.

It’s  been said that if weather satellites could only see hurricanes, they would still be worth ten times the cost. The image below is from GOES (courtesy NASA Goddard) and is remapped on the “NASA blue marble” background. Beware that it’s a huge image!

The latest NWP models are all in close agreement for the next three days and indicate that Irene will pass very near the Outer Banks on Saturday. The real question is what happens after that, and it’s still a distinct possibility that Irene will come ashore somewhere around Long Island and move NE through New England.

Update: As of 7 PM Bahamas time, there are reports of winds gusting to well over 100 mph on Rum key with swells to 45 feet off of San Salvador.