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Some rain, 40 mph wind for central Pa.Aug 26, 2011 (The News-Item - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- Initially, Hurricane Irene wasn't predicted to have much of an impact in central Pennsylvania, but the Category 3 storm has shifted its path further westward, said the National Weather Service (NWS) Thursday night. "The track of the storm shifted slightly westward, so we are going to see more of an impact here," said Craig Evanego, of the NWS. Evanego said central Pennsylvania will start to see clouds develop Friday night with a chance of rain, but said the worst rain is expected Saturday into Sunday. He predicted 1 to 2 inches of rain from Saturday to Sunday with winds peaking on Sunday and may reach 40 mph. "As you move east, there will be higher winds and more rain," said Evanego. "It's not a good weekend to be at the shore." The storm is the first to reach hurricane status this season. According to the NWS, it is expected to reach the Outer Banks of North Carolina by Saturday afternoon and reach southern New Jersey by Sunday afternoon. "Jersey is going to see hurricane conditions," said Evanego. "New York City is certainly close enough to the coast to worry." Despite previous predictions, Evanego said the storm is going to remain category three with winds reaching 120 mph Friday as it passes North Carolina, but will start to weaken as it travels north because of the cooler water and interaction with land. "It's still a few days away, and it's worth keeping an eye on as it gets closer," said Evanego. "Because we are on the fringe of the storm, minor changers could have a noticeable impact on the path of the storm." However, Evanego said the weather will start to clear up Sunday night and temperatures for next week being in the upper 70s and low 80s. "We are going to have a stretch of some pretty nice late summer weather next week," he said. ___ (c)2011 The News-Item (Shamokin, Pa.) Visit The News-Item (Shamokin, Pa.) at www.newsitem.com Distributed by MCT Information Services |