Thank You!

Hurricane Irene has left our area for good (hopefully she doesn't come back) and we've been greeted by great weather today. The Bayonne Hurricane Center would like thank everyone who followed our updates this weekend. We had readers from the USA to Germany to Canada to Poland, and we wanted to thank each and every reader for their support. In celebration of Irene's departure, we leave you with the 5 day forecast for Bayonne NJ:



Also, I'm sure many people noticed the absence of Mike "The Situation" Sorrentino at the VMA's last night. We seem to have found him here:



Thank You and goodbye until the next hurricane!

The Clean Up (More Important than the VMA's)

(As of 08/28 10:35pm EST) The worst of what was Hurricane Irene is now over. However, many areas in Hudson County and Bayonne remain flooded and wind gusts of over 30mph are to continue into the night. The Bayonne fire department responded to over 100 hurricane related calls from downed power lines to flooding. Although, it seems that Bayonne may have avoided the worst of the storm. Other parts of Hudson County did not fare as well. Some parts of Hoboken are heavily flooded, however residents were allowed to return home after 6pm today. In terms of the commute tomorrow morning, the PATH is expected to restart service at 4AM, the Light Rail will operate on a weekend schedule, and bus service is expected to operate on a modified schedule with fewer trips. Hudson County received somewhere around 10 inches of rain and recorded wind gusts of up to 60mph (in Jersey City).

The Bayonne Hurricane Center went to take a look out into Bayonne tonight. Most parts of Bayonne looked as if there wasn't even a hurricane, let alone a storm, that went through. The wind seemed to sweep away most of the debris that was very prominent on roads and sidewalks around noon today. At Veterans Park the storm surge carried debris from the water more than 70 feet onto land to the foot of the stadium. On 33rd Street and Kennedy Blvd, a tree was suspended in mid-air as it was caught up in power-lines. Police officers seemed to be waiting for an electrical crew or the fire dept. to arrive on the scene. Check out the photos below:





While we may have been spared in the NYC Metro area (more or less), let us not forget the many who have died throughout the course of this storm.

VIDEO - Newark Bay Storm Surge and Flooding

(08/28 12:05 PM EST) Check out the latest video of the Newark Bay storm surge in Bayonne NJ. The water is pouring relentlessly onto the street, and we imagine that other low lying areas in Bayonne, such as Boatworks and 1st street are seeing similar flooding events.

11AM - Do you know where your children are?

Currently (as of 08/28 11:00AM EST) Hurricane Irene has left it's mark in Bayonne NJ. Felled trees have damaged cars, the storm surge has forced the Newark Bay onto land, and debris is everywhere. The lower part of Hudson County Park has been largely consumed by the Newark Bay to the point that the roads have in fact turned into rivers. Everything is spewing in from the bay, including jellyfish and all that great bay trash. Some residents of Bayonne are walking around town in poncho's and rain boots to inspect the damage to their neighborhoods. Municipal trucks are collecting tree remnants and street sweeping has started. No property damage was seen, however this is not representative of all of Bayonne. To see the extent of Hurricane Irene's damage to Bayonne, please check out the photos below:


We are farmers! Bum ba-dum bum bum bum bum!


The track flooded...


You shall not pass...


An uprooted tree...


The Newark Bay overflowing...


More of the bay overflowing...

River road...

A family examining the bay...


Stuck in the middle...


Another road turned into a river, by the track...


A sandal without an owner...


A tree ripped apart, somehow it didn't land on a parked car...

The Arrival

Millions are without power across the East Coast, and many in Bayonne seem to be without power this morning as Hurricane Irene, which was briefly downgraded to a tropical storm, passed through our area.

The Bayonne Hurricane Center crew will depart into the city to check out the damage and report back later.

Latest Video from the Strom

Currently (as of 08/27 11:30pm EST) the rain is coming down steadily after calming down after a brief period of intensity around 10:30pm. The Bayonne Hurricane Center went into the streets of Bayonne to capture video from the storm, check it out:

Skip to 0:05 - the first five seconds didn't export properly...



Skip to 0:05 - the first five seconds didn't export properly...

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Current Conditions (as of 08/27 11:30pm EST)
Temperature - 76
Dew Point - 73
Humidity - 97%
Pressure - 29.47 in
Visibility - 3.0 miles
Wind Speed - 30 mph from ENE
Wind Gust - 35.0 mph
Rainfall - 1.08 in
Clouds - Few 400 ft
Mostly Cloudy 1400 ft
Overcast 2800 ft
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Live picture from the Bayonne Hurricane Center (as of 08/27 11:30pm EST)

Before midnight...

Click on picture to enlarge

The Outer Bands

Currently (as of 08/27 8:20pm EST) we've been getting a steady flow of rain coming from the outer bands of Hurricane Irene. It's been coming down for about an hour or so, and isn't supposed to stop until Sunday afternoon. The worst of the storm will come Sunday morning around 8am when the center of the storm will be somewhere between Sandy Hook and Long Beach, NY. Bayonne and NYC are projected to be west of the hurricane's center, which means that we will still receive powerful effects, but not as powerful as the east side of the hurricane.

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Current Conditions (as of 08/27 8:20pm EST)
Temperature - 74
Dew Point - 71
Humidity - 89%
Pressure - 29.65 in
Visibility - 5.0 miles
Wind Speed - 15 mph from ENE
Wind Gust - 17.0 mph
Clouds - Few 700 ft
Mostly Cloudy 1300 ft
Overcast 2800 ft
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Live picture from the Bayonne Hurricane Center (as of 08/27 08:20pm EST)

The beginnings...

Click on picture to enlarge

Preparation H(urricane Irene)

Empty water shelves...


Last minute purchases at Shop Rite...

(As of 08/27 3:00pm EST) We assembled a crew here at the Bayonne Hurricane Center this afternoon and we cruised around Bayonne to check out how residents were preparing for this historic storm. The majority of Bayonne seems to be taking the storm lightly, with very little property preparation (in terms of boarding up windows and sandbags), however many of these houses and businesses are NOT in flood areas. Although some in flood zones, such as in Boatworks and 1st Street, have taken precautions, many have NOT, and it remains to be seen if they've done enough.

Residents have pillaged Shop Rite and other supermarkets for groceries, and water especially. We've compiled a small gallery of photos for you to browse through to see how preparations are going:


Beware of Zombies...


"Suck it Irene"


"No wraps fo' you Irene"


Sandbags in a driveway on First Street...


Another one from First Street...


Roadtrip? or Hurricane stock up?


The Tux Shop on Broadway all taped up...


These geese aren't having it...


A look towards the Turnpike Extension Bridge from Veterans Park...
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Current Conditions (as of 08/27 3:56pm EST)
Temperature - 77
Dew Point - 74
Humidity - 90%
Pressure - 29.72 in
Visibility - 9.0 miles
Wind Speed - 15 mph from E
Wind Gust - 17.0 mph
Clouds - Scattered Clouds 600 ft
Mostly Cloudy 1400 ft
Mostly Cloudy 4500 ft
Overcast 13000 ft

The Day Before the Storm

UPDATE (As of 08/27 1:05pm EST) It appears that the first and most outer bands of the Hurricane have started to arrive in Bayonne. The rain is coming down lightly and it is supposed to be full swing by 3pm.

Currently (As of 08/27 11:25am EST) Hurricane Irene has been whipping North Carolina with sustained 90 mph winds after it made landfall in Cape Lookout at 7:30am. Thousands have lost power already, and our area is still preparing for the worst. New York City has evacuated an unprecedented 370,000 people from low-lying areas, and many other cities have done the same.

Nearby Hoboken has declared a state of emergency and issued a mandatory evacuation for all ground floor units. Jersey City and Bayonne have continued to call for a voluntary evacuation of residents in low-lying areas.

We here at the Bayonne Hurricane Center will venture out into Bayonne today to take a look at how residents are preparing for the storm - and to see if there are ANY water bottles left anywhere.

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Current Conditions
Temperature - 77
Dew Point - 71
Humidity - 86%
Pressure - 29.84 in
Visibility - 9.0 miles
Wind Speed - 11 mph from E
Wind Gust - 12.0 mph
Clouds - Few 500 ft
Mostly Cloudy 2500 ft
Mostly Cloudy 5000 ft
Overcast 13000 ft
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Live picture from the Bayonne Hurricane Center (as of 08/27 11:25am EST)

Gray skies and foggy weather...

Click on picture to enlarge

Welcome

Welcome everyone to the Bayonne Hurricane Center, where you will find the LATEST (AND MOST LOCAL) NEWS regarding the impending arrival of Hurricane Irene in Bayonne NJ. We are your source for the latest updates about Hurricane Irene - from maps to eyewitness reports to real time photos.

Currently (as of 8/26 11:22pm EST) the entire NYC Metro area is bracing for Hurricane Irene's impact. Thousands of flights have been cancelled all over the tri-state area, the MTA and NJ Transit will suspend service starting Saturday noon (with bus and light rail service ending at 6pm), and the Garden State Parkway has already been closed southbound from exit 98. If hurricane winds really pick up, the Port Authority will have to make independent decisions regarding the closure of bridges. No word on PATH train suspension, however we will surely find out as we approach Sunday.

Residents of certain Bayonne neighborhoods may have to make extra preparations if they live in a flood/storm surge prone area. To find out if you live in one of these areas, check out this link: (http://www.bayonnenj.org/flood_zones_bayonne.pdf) The city of Bayonne has set up various shelters at public schools, even providing transportation in case of emergency, for more on that click here: (http://www.bayonnenj.org/).

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Current Conditions:
Temperature - 75
Pressure - 29.93 in
Visibility - 9.0 miles
Wind Speed - 9 mph from SSE
Wind Gust - 9.0 mph
Clouds - Scattered Clouds 6000 ft
Mostly Cloudy 9500 ft
Mostly Cloudy 25000 ft

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Live picture from the Bayonne Hurricane Center (as of 8/26 11:22pm EST)

The calm before the storm...

Click on picture to enlarge