Hurricane Storms Toward Philly Region

PHILADELPHIA - The biggest hurricane event since 1944 is heading toward the shore and the city of Philadelphia, as well as the suburbs.

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Image: NOAA Hurricane Projected Path

A hurricane watch has been issued for all shore points, inner counties in New Jersey and Delaware, and Philadelphia.

Cape May and Atlantic counties are under a mandatory evacuation order starting on Friday. Atlantic City has ordered an evacuation startng at 6 a.m. Friday.

The storm could bring 5 to 10 inches of rain to areas such as the northern and western suburbs of Philadelphia, and near-hurricane winds.

But the scenario is worse for areas closer to the shore, and even Philadelphia, which could see flooding because of problems with the Delaware Bay.

The center of projected storm track from NOAA puts Hurricane Irene on track for a direct hit between the Delaware Bay and the New Jersey coast sometime early under Sunday.

The Hurricane Watch is in effect late Thursday for parts of New Jersey and Delaware as Hurricane Irene storms toward the greater Philadelphia region on the weekend.

Irene was still a Category 3 storm south of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina with winds of 115 miles per hour.

It is a well-organized storm that will not lose its intensity.
The Carolina coast is under a Hurricane Warning, meaning a hurricane is expected in the next 48 hours.

The Hurricane Watch we are under is for the Delaware Bay up to Philadelphia and for the coastal regions of Delaware and New Jersey, meaning conditions here might be felt in the next 48 hours.

If Irene comes up the Delaware Bay on Sunday we have big-time trouble for Philadelphia and the south Jersey shore.

The current storm track takes Hurricane Irene over Cape Hatteras as a Category 3 storm on Saturday afternoon.

The storm will then hug the coast and our current projections show Hurricane Irene sitting somewhere on the coast between the Delaware Bay and Cape May at 4 a.m.

It will have massive amounts of rain and hurricane-force winds.
The track from the National Hurricane Center has Hurricane Irene as a Category 1 storm cutting right through Cape May on Sunday morning, moving by Sunday afternoon.

The wind field extends 70 miles from the eye, so even if it is off the coast, the winds will be felt in Philadelphia.

The most ominous scenario is a shift in the track over the Delaware Bay, with a 5 foot storm surge and winds over 100 miles per hour.

Moderate to severe flooding is expected at the shore.
This is a very rare storm.

Flooding is also likely in the Philadelphia suburbs, which may see tropical storm force winds.