'Irene' retired

[B-Rent]

Irene has been retired from the official list of Atlantic Basin tropical storm names by the World Meteorological Organization’s (WMO) hurricane committee because of the fatalities and damage it caused in August 2011 and will be replaced by Irma.

http://www.noaanews.noaa.gov/stories2012/20120413_irene.html

[arlwx]

Goodbye, Irene!

[greg ralls]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QsKquZ1UvbI[/youtube]

[jm1220]

Kind of surprised, actually. It certainly was damaging but I wouldn't say catastrophic for any particular area.

[Thunder Road]

Goes to show how effects aren't limited to coastal areas. You'd probably never see a 75-kt Cat 1 that landfalled in Pensacola be retired, since you wouldn't have the inland flooding or effects to such a large area of population, but Irene was a special case due to its slow speed and landfall location(s).

[HurricaneJosh]

Lamest 952-mb hurricane landfall ever. I didn't think it was possible that a cyclone with that central pressure could have such crappy winds. It just had no bite. Unbelievable. Definitely my least-favorite chase of the last decade.

It's funny that Jova (in the EPAC) had such a tight, violent, scary little core with a central pressure more than 20 mb higher. It just goes to show that it ain't all about central pressure.

It's funny that 2011 brought me one of my lamest chases (Irene) and one of my best (Jova).

[shaggy]

Lamest 952-mb hurricane landfall ever. I didn't think it was possible that a cyclone with that central pressure could have such crappy winds. It just had no bite. Unbelievable. Definitely my least-favorite chase of the last decade.

It's funny that Jova (in the EPAC) had such a tight, violent, scary little core with a central pressure more than 20 mb higher.

It's funny that 2011 brought me one of my lamest chases (Irene) and one of my best (Jova).

See I had the opposite experience with Irene. While the winds were nothing like Fran they were equal to if not better than both Bertha and Floyd. The winds here were really cranking here for a couple of hours and we saw tons of damage here with both trees and houses being messed up. In no other hurricane did I actually see roofs missing in Pitt county but saw several from Irene.

This was from a storm that passed east of me by a good distance. I was suppose to be on the weak side and yet got smacked around for up to 16 hours.

I also believe the flooding in New england is what brought about the retiring of the name. It was a once in a lifetime storm for them.

[HurricaneJosh]

See I had the opposite experience with Irene. While the winds were nothing like Fran they were equal to if not better than both Bertha and Floyd. The winds here were really cranking here for a couple of hours and we saw tons of damage here with both trees and houses being messed up. In no other hurricane did I actually see roofs missing in Pitt county but saw several from Irene.

This was from a storm that passed east of me by a good distance. I was suppose to be on the weak side and yet got smacked around for up to 16 hours.

I also believe the flooding in New england is what brought about the retiring of the name. It was a once in a lifetime storm for them.

Don't get me wrong-- it was a bonafide hurricane and I don't mean to take away from the impact that it had. And, for the record, I'm not suggesting that it shouldn't be retired. It had serious impact in some areas. It was just a lame hurricane for that central pressure. (From a chaser's perspective, New England flooding is zzzzzzz.)

For 952 mb, you'd generally expect a lot more bite. That is a very low pressure. I was at the landfall point and it just didn't have that kick.

[NJHurricane]

Sometimes wonder if, as time goes on and more names are "retired" it might not hurt to have a tiered system...one for the Katrina's Hugo's and Andrews...and another for the Floyds and Irenes.....where uber catastrophic storms are permanently retired and another where storms that achieve a high degree of public awareness but are not as catastrophic are suspended from the list for 30+ years before being put back into the mix.

[aslkahuna]

Whoo-ee! Irma-a good old WPAC name. Irma 1966 hit the Philippines by tracking through the Visayas and then recurved into NW Luzon slamming Clark AB and Subic but good and dumping copious amounts of rainfall. Irma 1971 bombed below 890 mb and is on the top 10 list for lowest pressure in the World. Irma 1974-I was in the eye for this one-strongest typhoon experience for Clark AB to that date-solid Cat 1 hit with gusts in the 100mph range. Irma 1981, my last typhoon was a super before it hit Luzon-had 70 mph gusts at the house with the stom some 150 miles to the north.

Steve

[HurricaneJosh]

Whoo-ee! Irma-a good old WPAC name. Irma 1966 hit the Philippines by tracking through the Visayas and then recurved into NW Luzon slamming Clark AB and Subic but good and dumping copious amounts of rainfall. Irma 1971 bombed below 890 mb and is on the top 10 list for lowest pressure in the World. Irma 1974-I was in the eye for this one-strongest typhoon experience for Clark AB to that date-solid Cat 1 hit with gusts in the 100mph range. Irma 1981, my last typhoon was a super before it hit Luzon-had 70 mph gusts at the house with the stom some 150 miles to the north.

Steve

Daaaaamn-- you go way back with that name! Them's some awesome war stories there-- especially the 1971 and 1974 ones.

Steve, which was the typhoon that nailed you guys unexpectedly? I can't remember the name-- but I do remember you said it caught you guys off guard and you guys felt like you got your azzes handed to you. Was it Irma 1974? Or maybe Angela...?

[isohume]

Lamest 952-mb hurricane landfall ever. I didn't think it was possible that a cyclone with that central pressure could have such crappy winds. It just had no bite. Unbelievable. Definitely my least-favorite chase of the last decade.

It's funny that Jova (in the EPAC) had such a tight, violent, scary little core with a central pressure more than 20 mb higher. It just goes to show that it ain't all about central pressure.

It's funny that 2011 brought me one of my lamest chases (Irene) and one of my best (Jova).

True, it's about damage and deaths.

[HurricaneJosh]

True, it's about damage and deaths.

Obviously that's what drives name retirement.

But in that post, I was talking about wind speed-- just hammering home the point that central pressure isn't the only one factor. It's so amazing to me that as recently as 25 years ago, the relationship between central pressure and wind speed was believed to be generally fixed-- so that in the early 1980s, they would have just classed Irene as a Cat 3 based on the central pressure.

[U_Thant]

Kind of surprised, actually. It certainly was damaging but I wouldn't say catastrophic for any particular area.

I guess it's all on how one subjectively differentiates between the two. Personally, I'd classify the inland flooding caused by Irene as catastrophic along a good number of waterways - and pretty easily at that. I found some of the vids taken at places like Prattsville NY (Schoharie Crk), Grafton VT (Saxtons Rvr) and Fairfiled NJ (Passaic Rvr) to be jaw-dropping.

[aslkahuna]

Daaaaamn-- you go way back with that name! Them's some awesome war stories there-- especially the 1971 and 1974 ones.

Steve, which was the typhoon that nailed you guys unexpectedly? I can't remember the name-- but I do remember you said it caught you guys off guard and you guys felt like you got your azzes handed to you. Was it Irma 1974? Or maybe Angela...?

Irma-1974. It was forecast to go about 60 miles north of us and we were expecting peak gusts of 50kt. Instead it pulled an EWRC and turned SW and the center passed 5 miles south of the Base. We had a 27 mile diameter circular eye on radar 15 miles east of us with us under the RFQ eyewall with thunderstorms and gusts to 83 kt at the wind sensor which tended to give conservative readings since in those days they weren't 10 m high at USAF bases.

Steve

[HurricaneJosh]

Irma-1974. It was forecast to go about 60 miles north of us and we were expecting peak gusts of 50kt. Instead it pulled an EWRC and turned SW and the center passed 5 miles south of the Base. We had a 27 mile diameter circular eye on radar 15 miles east of us with us under the RFQ eyewall with thunderstorms and gusts to 83 kt at the wind sensor which tended to give conservative readings since in those days they weren't 10 m high at USAF bases.

Steve

Nice-- that sounds awesome. I'll bet you were into it. (Don't pretend you weren't. )

Did the center of the eye pass 5 mi S of the base, or was it the N edge of the eye that passed 5 mi to the S? If the former, then I guess you guys had a lull?

[HurricaneJosh]

I guess it's all on how one subjectively differentiates between the two. Personally, I'd classify the inland flooding caused by Irene as catastrophic along a good number of waterways - and pretty easily at that. I found some of the vids taken at places like Prattsville NY (Schoharie Crk), Grafton VT (Saxtons Rvr) and Fairfiled NJ (Passaic Rvr) to be jaw-dropping.

I would agree with you. As a hurricane specimen, it pretty-much sucked-- but the inland flooding was extreme in some areas in the Northeast USA, and parts of extreme-E NC suffered very heavily. The system's large, loose circulation meant lame winds-- the gradient just wasn't there to give it a kick-- but at the same time extensive tidal flooding over wide areas.

The system seems perfectly deserving of name retirement.

[BrianLaverty]

FWIW.... Even though Irene was a weakening TS when it hit here, many parts of Rhode Island are still recovering from it. Wherever I go in the state, you seem an abundance of trees down in the woods that weren't down this time last year. I'm not talking 10-20 trees... I'm talking hundreds. It just goes to show how damaging a legit hurricane like 1938 hitting Rhode Island would be nowadays.

[aslkahuna]

Nice-- that sounds awesome. I'll bet you were into it. (Don't pretend you weren't. )

Did the center of the eye pass 5 mi S of the base, or was it the N edge of the eye that passed 5 mi to the S? If the former, then I guess you guys had a lull?

The center of the eye passed 5 miles south. Actually directly over my house where I had dead calm winds and some sunshine when I got home from the Base. I was on the radar and tracked the storm in until we lost all power. Then as the eyewall came over I was intently watching the the wind needle since I felt that we were going to set a new record for winds at Clark (which we did). The most spectacular aspect of the storm was when the eye came over Mt. Arayat to our east. We we still gusting to 80 kt but the visibility to the east rapidly improved and we could see full sunshine on the mountain while we were still under the inner edge of the eyewall. I've seen lots of big storms (tropical and otherwise)in my day but Irma has to rate as the most spectacular. The backside was mostly at night but was still strong as we waited the night in the dark with the storm redeveloping offshore-hit Hong Kong three days later as the latest typhoon there on record. My only regret was that because of the forecast I did not bring any photo gear to work with me and it was too dark for the back side. Side note: the next night we had a beautiful total lunar eclipse.

Steve

[HurricaneJosh]

The center of the eye passed 5 miles south. Actually directly over my house where I had dead calm winds and some sunshine when I got home from the Base. I was on the radar and tracked the storm in until we lost all power. Then as the eyewall came over I was intently watching the the wind needle since I felt that we were going to set a new record for winds at Clark (which we did). The most spectacular aspect of the storm was when the eye came over Mt. Arayat to our east. We we still gusting to 80 kt but the visibility to the east rapidly improved and we could see full sunshine on the mountain while we were still under the inner edge of the eyewall. I've seen lots of big storms (tropical and otherwise)in my day but Irma has to rate as the most spectacular. The backside was mostly at night but was still strong as we waited the night in the dark with the storm redeveloping offshore-hit Hong Kong three days later as the latest typhoon there on record. My only regret was that because of the forecast I did not bring any photo gear to work with me and it was too dark for the back side. Side note: the next night we had a beautiful total lunar eclipse.

Steve

Wow-- that sounds mega-awesome. Really cool-- especially the bolded part. Definitely strikes me as your personal favorite weather experience.

So, to make sure I understand, you left the AFB and went home during the lull? How long did the lull last?

P.S. Sorry to go OT, folks.

[HurricaneJosh]

Steve, is the Irma 1974 track? If so, it looks like it hit as a Cat 2-- not a Cat 1. The Wikipedia article suggests winds of 85 kt at landfall as well. So maybe it was stronger than you thought?

[aslkahuna]

JTWC called it 70G85kt when it was due south of us while PAGASA had it at 85kt. Our winds on Clark officially peaked at 60G83kt but I reviewed the wind trace and found a 5 minute period of 70kt sustained. Our pressure dropped to 979mb though it was a bit lower at the house. Based upon some of the damage in town it could have been a Cat2 intensity storm. The location of the wind sensor on the instrument runway (down in a terrain hole) and the lower than 10m height always led me to believe that readings during storms were frequently biased low but we had no comparison. A retired observer close to our house did estimate sustained 100 mph winds but what I experienced on Base was Cat 1- high end most likely. Yes I went home during the lull which lasted about 4 hours because the storm had slowed down. The eye was 27 miles across and was due south around 06Z (14L). Of the four storms where the eye passed over me, 3 were daytime hits.

Steve

[turtlehurricane]

Kinda unrelated, but Irene 1999 is the one I'll always remember. I've been in the eye of 3 hurricanes, but I'll never forget just how calm and clear it was when the eye of Irene was over my house. The stars were out and the crickets were chirping, and it lasted for hours. I remember I went to bed that night during the eye like it was no big deal, and briefly woke up during the backside eyewall when a tree got ripped out of the side of our house, but went right back to sleep. I was 8 so I needed my sleep lol, especially after being over excited all day about the hurricane.

[NorEaster27]

Kind of surprised, actually. It certainly was damaging but I wouldn't say catastrophic for any particular area.

It was catastrophic for Vermont.

[Juliancolton]

964 mb pressure at my house under the "center" of Irene, which was cool to see, but the winds were nearly non-existant; I had to strain to see leaves jiggling. The flooding region-wide was definitely the most impressive part of the event.

[CT Rain]

It was catastrophic for Vermont.

Was the worst storm surge flooding on the Connecticut shoreline since Hurricane Carol. Well over 100 structures destroyed, 100s more damaged. At least in the state it produced more power outages than Hurricane Gloria and the inland flooding was impressive and destructive.

[HurricaneJosh]

JTWC called it 70G85kt when it was due south of us while PAGASA had it at 85kt. Our winds on Clark officially peaked at 60G83kt but I reviewed the wind trace and found a 5 minute period of 70kt sustained. Our pressure dropped to 979mb though it was a bit lower at the house. Based upon some of the damage in town it could have been a Cat2 intensity storm. The location of the wind sensor on the instrument runway (down in a terrain hole) and the lower than 10m height always led me to believe that readings during storms were frequently biased low but we had no comparison. A retired observer close to our house did estimate sustained 100 mph winds but what I experienced on Base was Cat 1- high end most likely. Yes I went home during the lull which lasted about 4 hours because the storm had slowed down. The eye was 27 miles across and was due south around 06Z (14L). Of the four storms where the eye passed over me, 3 were daytime hits.

Steve

I'll bet it was a Cat 2. The fact that you were well inland, and the instrument was below 10 m, and that you had 70 kt (5-min) all say at least Cat 2 to me. That's actually a pretty impressive reading given the location of the base. It's not like it was an exposed beachfront location.

964 mb pressure at my house under the "center" of Irene, which was cool to see, but the winds were nearly non-existant; I had to strain to see leaves jiggling. The flooding region-wide was definitely the most impressive part of the event.

Yeah, the thing just had no kick. In NC, it felt like a 'cane-- albeit a weak one. I was almost exactly at the landfall point, and on the front side, I don't think we had anything stronger than a solid gale at our location. After the eye passed, the backside had more kick (surprisingly), but overall it was just blah. I was in Brooklyn for that landfall as well (we raced it up the coast), and I was again stricken by the lack of wind. That having been said, Long Island had a decent amount of downed trees and power outages, so I guess there was some wind.