Will Hurricane Irene hit Philly? If it did, what would happen? (Philadelphia: power lines, house)

[Dub King]

The five-day forecast for Hurricane Irene has it coming up the east coast and hitting North Carolina before moving over the Delmarva peninsula. Hurricane IRENE

From there, it looks like the center of the storm would continue right over Philadelphia. We've seen some river flooding in the last few years and this August is expected to be the wettest on record. What happens to Philly if we get 10 inches of rain? That's what happened with Hurricane Floyd in 1999, and Irene's storm track looks just about identical to Floyd's.

[Ghostwriterz]

they said its to soon to truly tell but more likely it will move east away from Jersey shore. If so we might get rain which we do not need.

[bryson662001]

Some flooding, not neccessarily where it usually floods, trees down, loss of power in suburbs, not unlike the results of a local thunderstorm but more widespread. Most likely just several inches of rain.

[Dub King]

As of today it's looking more and more likely Philly gets hit. Be safe, be prepared.

[donsabi]

This might be a good time to take a weekend in the Poconos or out of the way of Irene.

[rotodome]

manayunk & east falls are going to be pretty rough.

[Pine to Vine]

I lived in Houston for many years. We experienced several hurricanes in the vicinity and fortunately (or rather unfortunately) only one direct hit. Based on what I learned about hurricane dynamics, it would be extremely unlikely that a storm could sustain hurricane force winds by the time it reaches Philly - simply too much influence of the land, even if it dead-headed up the Delaware. Tropical storm force winds could be expected, downed power lines and certainly excessive rain.

Given the unpredictability of Mother Nature, let's just hope I don't end up eating my words. When Hurricane Ike hit Houston a few years back, we were without electricity for 10 days even though we lived within three miles of downtown. Imagine no AC and trying to sleep with overnight temps in the high 70s (with no breeze and humidity to match) no hot water, not being able to cook, etc. Worst of all, imagine waking up and not being able to start the day with coffee! "Power envy" ensued as people in various parts of the city would have their electricity restored before others. It's not pretty.

[AngelBy]

I think we get hit, it's raining hard and thunderstorm with lightning now ...

[Pine to Vine]

Originally Posted by AngelBy

I think we get hit, it's raining hard and thunderstorm with lightning now ...

Don't panic. This is a cold front.

[cpomp]

so im guessing no beach house this weekend.