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What will Hurricane Irene do to New York City?

Where is Irene now?

Top tips on what to do during a flood or storm surge

Hurricane Irene is forecast to hit New York City early tomorrow morning (August 28).

The system is expected to deliver a destructive combination of storm surge, damaging winds and flooding rain. This is mainly due to coastal flooding caused by a combination of Irene’s surge and astronomical high tides.

Preview possible storm surge flooding in NYC due to Irene

Parts of New York City, including sea-level lower Manhattan, braced for major flooding. New York has ordered the first-ever mandatory evacuation for 370,000 residents, including five New York City hospitals.

Image Credit: joiseyshowaa

“We have never done a mandatory evacuation before, and we wouldn’t be doing this now if we didn’t think the storm had the potential to be very serious,” Mayor Michael Bloomberg said.

Here is a map of the NYC evacuation zones. Another version (PDF).

The city is also preparing for Irene with shutdowns of mass transit beginning at noon today (August 27.)

Areas inland, including all of New Jersey and Connecticut and areas of the Hudson Valley, will feel the impacts of this destructive storm as well.

Tremendous rainfall amounts across parts of the Northeast – between 5 and 10 inches – are forecast. This area has already received large amounts of rain during the month of August, which has made tree root systems weak. Experts say that the weakened root systems combined with a prolonged period of tropical storm-force sustained winds might result in trees being uprooted and falling on nearby cars, houses and buildings.

Hurricane warnings now include New York City, Long Island, New Jersey and southern Connecticut.

Posted 
August 26, 2011
 in 
Earth

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