Hampton Roads, Va. – It’s been four years since Hurricane Irene impacted the coasts of Virginia and North Carolina. Hard to believe, isn’t it?
I remember the storm very well. I was working as a meteorologist in Eastern North Carolina where Irene made landfall on the morning of August 27, 2011, near Cape Lookout, N.C.
Irene was a Category 1 hurricane at landfall, with sustained winds between 74 and 95 mph.
The storm was the first hurricane to make landfall in the U.S. since Ike struck in September 2008.
Irene caused widespread damage from North Carolina northward to homes and trees. There was also extensive power outages. In North Carolina, Highway 12 saw quite a bit of damage due to ocean overwash. The most severe storm surge occurred between Oregon Inlet and Cape Hatteras. But according to the National Hurricane Center, significant storm surge damage occurred along the southern Chesapeake Bay as well. In fact, in Hampton Roads, storm surge flooding was comparable to that from Hurricane Isabel of 2003.
Make sure you stay with NewsChannel 3 for all your VIPIReady updates as we continue moving through the Atlantic hurricane season.
Sources: NOAA, National Hurricane Center
