“Strongest storm of the last twenty years” also sounds a bit scary, since my house still has a few 100-year-old windows that are now considerably weaker than they were twenty years ago.

But thanks for the reassurance; overall it sounds like there’s not too much reason for me to worry. (I’ve got a pump for the basement in case the storm surge comes in . . . )

Also, remember that since the summer of 38, well, esp since the Great Storm of 78 up in New England, building and zoning laws have changed. Over the last 70 years thousands of shoreline homes between the outer banks and the Bay of Fundy have been washed into the sea and not rebuilt.

I’ve been on the road all day, just checking now to see what the latest is. Irene should be at near maximum wind strength over the next six hours or so. If this is lower than 110 mph, then Irene will be just barely a hurricane when it arrives in New York/New England. If much more, then it may be more likely a stronger storm. Either way, North Carolina gets seriously hammered.

Oh, wait, y’all might not have plans for that sort of thing.

Your thoughts?

Freshwater flooding is also going to be a major issue. Parts of the Northeast (particularly the NYC region) have already seen lots of rain this month, and these places are likely to be on the west side of the eye, which will have more rainfall as the back side of the low usually does (the strongest winds are on the east side because the storm motion adds to the circulation). Ten inches or more of rain are likely in parts of the Philadelphia to NYC corridor and surrounding areas.

Trees, of course, are a big worry, and most of the power outages, at least in areas with above-ground utilities, will be due to trees falling on power lines.

Greg @4: This is going to be a bit more than a typical Nor’easter without snow. Think more like the Blizzard of 1978 without snow.

Though the center of the storm looks to pass maybe 100 miles to my east and south according to the National Hurricane Center, some computer models suggest it could come significantly closer. And while I would be on the weaker side of the storm, unlike with Isabel, the effects of hours and hours of >25 mph winds and rain are likely to bring trees down on houses and wires no matter how much tree trimming Pepco has done in the past year. I have a supply of fully cooked food in cans and pouches, aseptic containers of milk, etc., just in case the power goes out during the storm.

This article greatly improved my weak understanding of hurricanes and made me glad I live 70 miles inland — from the Pacific Ocean. I think I prefer sitting under high pressure and clear skies, even if that means regular fires. Hurricanes seem much worse than anything we face over here.

It seems like this could get very ugly if it does just slide along the shore. I guess we should be hoping for a sharp left turn and quick landfall. Too bad prayer is so perfectly ineffective in these things.

BTW, I wouldn’t worry about plywood as far north as Boston. Heck, I went without plywood last hurricane a couple years back. Of course, A window got blown in.

Trees are a big threat. Sickly trees should be cut down if they can fall on your house. But it’s probably too late for that now.