Hurricane Irene has been reduced from a category 2 hurricane to a category 1 hurricane! Although the drop in force is a little bit of good news, it doesn’t mean that Irene doesn’t still have the potential to do some serious damage. There is also still a chance that Irene will reduce in force before it hits New York City on Sunday at about 10am. Read more after the jump.
@Julie1205
The storm is currently a Category 1 hurricane. It could be the same strength or slightly weaker, when it reaches New York. But that depends on whether the storm loses steam as it moves up the East Coast. Saturday morning, President Obama also declared a state of emergency in New Jersey and ordered federal assistance to supplement the state’s response to Hurricane Irene.
Obama previously declared emergencies for North Carolina, Virginia, New York, Connecticut and Massachusetts.
Meteorologist David Stark says Irene could make landfall in the New York area around 10 a.m. Sunday, causing winds of up to 80 miles per hour. New York City may be on the western edge, he says, but the system is so massive there could be winds of 75 miles per hour.
“The hazards are still the same,†NHC hurricane specialist Mike Brennan said. “The emphasis for this storm is on its size and duration, not necessarily how strong the strongest winds are.â€
