As of 10 a.m. today, the latest official forecast regarding Hurricane Irene details a slightly improved outlook for Lincoln County.
Fresh off a briefing from the National Weather Service officials this morning, Lincoln County Emergency Management Agency Director Tim Pellerin said Hurricane Irene is anticipated to degenerate into a tropical storm by the time it crosses Lincoln County beginning Sunday.
Although the latest information is an official forecast, Pellerin stressed the best forecast is still only an estimate. The storm’s track can change at any time and any change could still dramatically affect conditions in Lincoln County, Pellerin said.
“It can change at a moment’s notice,” Pellerin said. “Again, this is an estimate by the National Weather Service. At this point this is still an estimate. The track can change one way or the other.”
“Right now, the storm is probably going to come in Sunday afternoon; 30-50 mph sustained winds with hurricane gusts up to 60-70 mph, and two to three inches of rain,” Pellerin said. “I am pleased at this point it’s kind of downgraded but people still need to be on their guard and pay attention to monitoring radio, televisions and newspaper. We are telling everybody to remain vigilant.”
Official hurricane or not, the storm is still likely to leave a significant amount of damage in its wake, Pellerin said.
“There will be some power outages, trees down, power lines, but it is not as bad as it looked 24 hours ago,” he said. “However, people still need to take precautions.”
As of 10:30 a.m. Pellerin said county responders are on alert and prepared as possible for the storm. Local responders have been briefed, and trucks and equipment are fueled and ready to go but local citizens still need to do what they can to prepare to weather the storm safely, Pellerin said.
“We are still asking people to be prepared and take proper precautions,” he said. “Stay vigilant.”
The Lincoln County News will follow with additional posting here as more information becomes available.