Musings
 Walk a Mile in Someone Else's Shoes

A Hurricane Irene Recap ... and Sound Off!

I greeted Hurricane Irene with mixed emotions. The meteorologist in me loves a good storm. I could appreciate the uniqueness of Irene's set up. Her central pressure at landfall in North Carolina matched that of a category 4 hurricane. Yet, her winds, which take more of the fame in general hurricane media coverage, were only that of a category 1. A pressure gradient (change of pressure over area) is what generates wind. If a storm is spatially small with a very low pressure the winds will blow very strongly because this sets up a steep pressure gradient (large change over small area). In Irene's case, however, the spatial extent was vast and far reaching. This means the pressure gradient was much weaker resulting in less significant winds. What is more, because Irene was somewhat disconnected from the mid-level steering currents of both the subtropics and the midlatitudes, she took her sweet time advancing up the East coast. This resulted in prolonged exposure of wind and rain. Even though no place experienced anything worse than category 1 and tropical storm force winds, they were subject to those conditions for prolonged amounts of time. In some ways category 1 and tropical storm conditions for hours on end is worse than a quick pummel by a category 3 or 4 storm. For what its worth, I would be willing to wager that "Irene" will be retired by the National Hurricane Center.

Now, onto my personal encounter with Irene. As Murphy would always have it, Mike was away on a trip. I was left to weather the storm at home with the fur kids. Mike's flying was up in the northeast states which were also in Irene's path. His company instructed him to evacuate an aircraft to Detroit where his and other planes + crews would ride out the storm. He got to mingle and enjoy a very unique situation in that he'll very likely never have so many crews together in one spot. He never truly could relax though because his heart and thoughts were back at home where the situation was less than tranquil.

The rain began around 10:30a Saturday August 27. While it was breezy all day, the winds that really get your attention didn't set in until ~3:00p. By 10:00p the worst of it hit us. Our chimney began leaking and I played bucket brigade for several hours. Things were alarming and downright scary for the better part of 2 hours. Our large old growth trees swayed like weeble wobbles and bent like gumby. I don't know how we got away with only losing leaves, sticks, and small branches. The night sky lit up bright blue more times than I cared to count. Transformers were blowing and the nearby substation bellowed onerous noises that I don't even know how to begin to describe. Our power fluttered and pulsed with each of the nearby electrical failures but never fully abandoned us. I chose to sit in the dark nonetheless because it was easier to watch the storm play out outside and I was getting annoyed by the various restart and boot up noises in the house after each power surge. By midnight the worst of it was over and the wind and rain were seeming to abate. I dared not try to sleep, though. Our bedroom sits beneath a huge oak tree. All I could envision was that tree bearing down on me and crushing me. By 2:00a the storm was continuing to relent to the point where I no longer felt threatened by our oak tree and I headed upstairs to bed.

While the meteorologist in me loves a good storm, the sensible side of me absolutely hated the experience of Irene. Mike and I own a home and property now. We are fur parents now - responsible for more than just ourselves. The consequences of things going wrong during Irene are much further reaching than if we were renters without pets. Aside from the internal struggle of meteorologist vs. responsible homeowner, I think this experience was worse for me than expected because I had to go it alone and the worst of the storm impacted us at night. If Mike were at home and the worst weather had struck in daylight I may not have had such a negative experience. As it is, if I have to go through another hurricane again in my life, it will be too soon.

Rainfall totals from Irene for the Chesapeake Bay area.

The rain gauge in our backyard picked up 6.15" in about 18 hours.

There is something wrong about raking up green leaves in August!

Here is a round up of the area reports of maximum sustained winds and maximum wind gusts.

Andrews AFB	KADW	39 mph	54 mph
Reagan National Airport	KDCA	47 mph	60 mph
Dulles Airport	KIAD	32 mph	45 mph
Annapolis Naval Academy	KNAK	33 mph	47 mph
Baltimore-Washington Airport	KBWI	33 mph	51 mph

Now, onto the controversy around Irene. You've likely read articles or seen news stories suggesting Irene was over-hyped and over-sensationalized. Some of you in the storm's path may describe your experience with the storm as a bit of a "dud." If you were nowhere near the storm, say Oregon, like The Oatmeal's author, you may even poke fun at the event (http://theoatmeal.com/comics/weather). No matter what your experience, I urge you to take a moment to take a step back. I encourage you to take a moment and discard your experience or perspective and take on someone else's.

People died in this storm. Ask the victims' families if they thought this storm was a dud. Countless folks are still without power a whole week later. Ask them if they think Irene was lame. Many towns are ravaged by flood waters and will take months or even years to rebuild. Ask them if they think the damage was minimal. Still other towns are isolated now, blocked off from access because bridges have washed out and roads are washed away by flood waters. These folks are now relying on National Guard helos to bring them basic supplies. Ask them if they think Irene didn't meet expectations. Seriously, what more damage and destruction do you possibly want? Do you actually wish ill will and demise upon innocent people? That is just sick and disgusting. Nature can be a rabid beast that can don different masks. Gloom and doom doesn't have to appear terrifying and hulking. In this case nature acted demurely and was unassuming, yet the impact was still far reaching and heart breaking. I am truly sorry that so many people lack the human spirit and compassion to feel for those that have been severely affected by Irene.