Keeping an Eye on Hurricane Irene

The final weekend before most kids in our area go back to school could be a wet one. If you have plans for Sunday, you might want to consider changing them.

The forecast late Monday night was for wind and rain on Sunday. How much of either depends on the culprit: Hurricane Irene.

As of 11 p.m. on Monday, Irene was a Category 2 storm moving WNW at 12 mph with its center located at 19.9 North and 69.2 West. Projections for the storm's track expect a more northerly turn after brushing the Florida coast, with South Carolina or North Carolina now the likliest candidates for landfall. Irene has sustained winds of 100 mph with stronger gusts and it is expected to strengthen during the next 48 hours. Irene could intensify into a Category 3 storm on Tuesday, becoming a major hurricane. For the latest information on Irene, visit the NOAA web site.

If you're wondering when the last time was that hurricane-force winds hit Connecticut, here is a list of those storms that have, with name, category and date:

• Unnamed, 1, Sept. 16, 1858
• Unnamed, 1, Sept. 8, 1869
• Unnamed, 3, Sept. 21, 1938
• Unnamed, 3, Sept. 15, 1944
• Carol, 3, Aug. 31, 1954
• Donna, 2, Sept. 12, 1960
• Agnes, 1, June 22, 1972
• Belle, 1, Aug. 10, 1976
• Gloria, 2, Sept. 27, 1985
• Bob, 2, Aug. 19, 1991

It might be too soon to tell how close Irene will come to Connecticut, but attached are hurricane tracking charts for you to print out and follow the storm's progress. It's not only fun (if you're not in the storm's path), but a great learning tool if you have young children.

Another educational web site on hurricanes can be found at Enchanted Learning.

List of Connecticut Hurricanes from noaa.gov.