© NASAHurricane Irene on Aug. 24.
Watch out, New Yorkers and Northeasterners: Hurricane Irene is forecast to come uncomfortably close to New York City this weekend.
New Yorkers may think Manhattan is the center of the universe, but it's the edge of the Atlantic's hurricane alley. As history shows, hurricanes can and do storm through the metropolitan area and landfall here is not out of the question. With such a densely populated city, a citywide evacuation is nearly impossible (the subways can barely handle rush hour when it rains).
Do you know what to do if Irene hits? It's a good idea to make a plan now, since Irene is a real threat to strike New York City, officials say.
New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg is taking the threat seriously, and at a press briefing yesterday (Aug. 27) he urged people to stay alert.
"Everyone should keep an eye on the storm and pay attention to the Office of Emergency Management [OEM] when they put out some advisories on what we should prepare for as we get closer to the potential storm," Bloomberg said.
The latest forecast has a lot of wiggle room on the storm's northeastern path, but the storm could come near New York City Sunday evening (Aug. 28), according to the National Hurricane Center.
"There's a potential for it, but it's a little too soon to tell," said Dennis Feltgen of the National Hurricane Center.
