Tuesday, August 23, 2011

Irene Now A Major Hurricane - More Strengthening to Come...


The above visible satellite picture shows Irene continuing to organize as the center passes to the North of the Dominican Republic this morning.  As I pointed out in my last post yesterday, the fact that the center is passing North of the most rugged terrain of Guadalupe is allowing for more intensification to take place, and this trend is likely to continue.

As of the 8am EDT National Hurricane Center advisory, the center of Irene was located about 70 miles South/Southeast of Grand Turk Island, and moving West/Northwest at 10 mph.  Maximum sustained winds were estimated near 100 mph, and the minimum central pressure is 28.88 inches of mercury.

The latest official NHC forecast track is shown below:


The official forecast track has changed little since yesterday's update (although the intensity forecast has been increased - as expected).  The general trends outlined in my post yesterday evening still hold true at this time.  I want to wait for this morning's full run of computer models and other data before making any revisions, if necessary.  Watch for an updated post later today...including more specific expected impacts on Florida and the entire East coast.


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