Irene Visible Satellite, Image: NOAA

To track Hurricane Irene, head to MYL’s Hurricane Tracking page or the National Hurricane Center website.

On Saturday, when the NHC issued its first advisory on what was then Tropical Storm Irene, the Turks and Caicos Islands were not within the National Hurricane Center track forecast. Five days later, the island chain was squarely in the most dangerous section of a major hurricane.

National Hurricane Center forecasters are emphasizing the error and uncertainty in their discussion today. Currently, the NHC is uncertain whether Irene will affect the most populous area of the United States once it starts its trek northward, turned by steering currents over the United States and the Atlantic Ocean basin. The current track has landfall on the far outer edge of the Outer Banks and then a second landfall in Montauk, New York, the most eastern point of Long Island, before moving through coastal Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, coastal New Hampshire and then Maine. The track has been nudged farther east but hurricane forecasters aren’t confident in that forecast.

This storm is gaining strength over the warm waters of the Bahamas and the East Coast of the United States will have to continue to monitor Irene.

Dawn Brown, FOX 8 New Orleans

Precipitation Forecast, Image: NOAA

A low pressure system that dumped heavy rain in Texas and Louisiana is now advancing to the Mid-Atlantic region. Parts of Georgia, Tennessee, and the Carolinas can expect heavy rain before the low tracks off the coast of the United States. Rain / higher elevation snow storms continue to roll into the Pacific Northwest. Coastal areas of Washington and Oregon continue to see rain and high winds, whereas the Cascades continue to pile up snow.

Sky Cover, Image: NOAA

This map shows the National Weather Service’s forecast for the percentage of sky cover across the United States. You can see the Southwest, Big Mountain West and portions of the Mid-West and New England are sunny today.

The Thanksgiving forecast still looks pretty rough for the Mid-West and Great Lakes region. Check out your local TV forecast for the latest on the midweek storms. You can get those forecasts by clicking on the GET YOUR LOCAL TV FORECAST! link on the bottom right hand side of this website.

-Dawn Brown

Northeast Radar, Image: NOAA (Old)

Click for the latest Northeast Radar image.

New England is being pummeled by Ida’s rains this Friday. Marine storm warnings are in effect from Delaware and South Jersey to off the coast of Long Island to  northern New England. Click on the foregoing links for the latest watches and warnings from local TV forecasters.

NOAA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has released its climate report card for the United States. According to NOAA, the United States had the third coolest October this year and the highest precipitation totals on record.

Climate State Ranks, Image: NOAA

Precipitation State Ranks, Image: NOAA

According to NOAA, “The average October temperature of 50.8 degrees F was 4.0 degrees F below the 20th Century average. Preliminary data also reveals this was the wettest October on record with average precipitation across the contiguous United States reaching 4.15 inches, 2.04 inches above the 1901-2000 average.” (Source: NOAA)

-Dawn Brown