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American Morning
Talk With Hurricane Intercept Research Team
Aired September 17, 2003 - 07:37 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
JEFF FLOCK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm joined now live by the Hurricane Intercept Research Team, men who get very excited about storms. You're researchers, hunters. You see this as an extraordinary opportunity to learn.
MARK SUDDUTH, HURRICANE INTERCEPT RESEARCH TEAM: Right.
FLOCK: Mark Sudduth, John Vanpelt, Jesse Bass.
Mark?
SUDDUTH: Well, to understand a storm and learn from it like you just mentioned, you've got to get close to it, and that's why we're here on the beautiful crystal coast. We're going to get close to this hurricane, observe it, see what we can learn from it later.
FLOCK: John, where are we going tonight? The next 24 hours are going to be very key. Where are we going to end up?
JOHN VANPELT, STORM CHASER: It looks like we may end up in Newburn. And we've got four sets of instrumentation to collect data with.
FLOCK: And that's just a little bit off the coast? We think it's going to curve right in from the coast, go right into Newburn, is that what we think, Mark?
SUDDUTH: Yes. It's going to be pretty close to Newburn. That whole eastern fifth of eastern North Carolina could be under the gun in about the next 30 hours or so.
FLOCK: OK, we'll be there.
Gentlemen, I appreciate it.
It's been a fun ride so far and it's going to get a lot more interesting.
Bill, that's the latest here from Atlantic Beach, North Carolina.
HEMMER: Jeff, thanks.
Be safe out there.
Back with Chad -- Chad, you heard him mention Newburn, North Carolina.
Good morning.
What are you seeing now?
CHAD MYERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You know, I think that's probably a couple miles too far to the west. I think they should be out at Cedar Island. Unfortunately, that island is only about five feet tall. If you get a storm surge at 11 feet, well, guess what? You've got six feet over your head. So maybe Newburn is the safest place to be, as close to the eye as you can get. It may be on what we call the wrong side of the eye. And there isn't a good side of the eye, but the bad side of the eye is actually the east side or the side that's moving here.
That is the worst side because you not only get 110 miles per hour here, Bill, you also get the forward speed added in. So if this thing is moving at 15 by the time it gets to the coast like we expect it, that'll be 110 plus 15. On the east side of the storm, it'll be about a 125 mile per hour storm. On the west side, you have to subtract that number, and so the winds are only going to be about 95 miles per hour, where those guys will be right up there. Newburn is right there.
So I think the eye passes to the east of them. The storm goes right on up toward the north and toward the northwest, right over Williamsburg and Richmond, Virginia, with flooding and significant wind damage, and then all the way up into Washington, D.C., as well.
North, Top Sale Beach, we are seeing a beautiful morning, the sun rise. Wind, though, picking up. You can see the sea oats there blowing, the sea grass there blowing in front of the camera. Winds now at about 20 miles per hour. The surf just off the shore, 26 feet.
HEMMER: Wow.
MYERS: So, those waves will be coming onshore, not that high, because they'll break out there, but, yes.
HEMMER: Yes, they're a pretty picture so far today, but they're going to change rapidly this time tomorrow.
MYERS: It's certainly going downhill, Bill, yes.
HEMMER: Chad, thanks.
OK, see you in about 20 minutes again, all right?
MYERS: Right. Yes.
HEMMER: Good deal.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired September 17, 2003 - 07:37 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
JEFF FLOCK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm joined now live by the Hurricane Intercept Research Team, men who get very excited about storms. You're researchers, hunters. You see this as an extraordinary opportunity to learn.
MARK SUDDUTH, HURRICANE INTERCEPT RESEARCH TEAM: Right.
FLOCK: Mark Sudduth, John Vanpelt, Jesse Bass.
Mark?
SUDDUTH: Well, to understand a storm and learn from it like you just mentioned, you've got to get close to it, and that's why we're here on the beautiful crystal coast. We're going to get close to this hurricane, observe it, see what we can learn from it later.
FLOCK: John, where are we going tonight? The next 24 hours are going to be very key. Where are we going to end up?
JOHN VANPELT, STORM CHASER: It looks like we may end up in Newburn. And we've got four sets of instrumentation to collect data with.
FLOCK: And that's just a little bit off the coast? We think it's going to curve right in from the coast, go right into Newburn, is that what we think, Mark?
SUDDUTH: Yes. It's going to be pretty close to Newburn. That whole eastern fifth of eastern North Carolina could be under the gun in about the next 30 hours or so.
FLOCK: OK, we'll be there.
Gentlemen, I appreciate it.
It's been a fun ride so far and it's going to get a lot more interesting.
Bill, that's the latest here from Atlantic Beach, North Carolina.
HEMMER: Jeff, thanks.
Be safe out there.
Back with Chad -- Chad, you heard him mention Newburn, North Carolina.
Good morning.
What are you seeing now?
CHAD MYERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You know, I think that's probably a couple miles too far to the west. I think they should be out at Cedar Island. Unfortunately, that island is only about five feet tall. If you get a storm surge at 11 feet, well, guess what? You've got six feet over your head. So maybe Newburn is the safest place to be, as close to the eye as you can get. It may be on what we call the wrong side of the eye. And there isn't a good side of the eye, but the bad side of the eye is actually the east side or the side that's moving here.
That is the worst side because you not only get 110 miles per hour here, Bill, you also get the forward speed added in. So if this thing is moving at 15 by the time it gets to the coast like we expect it, that'll be 110 plus 15. On the east side of the storm, it'll be about a 125 mile per hour storm. On the west side, you have to subtract that number, and so the winds are only going to be about 95 miles per hour, where those guys will be right up there. Newburn is right there.
So I think the eye passes to the east of them. The storm goes right on up toward the north and toward the northwest, right over Williamsburg and Richmond, Virginia, with flooding and significant wind damage, and then all the way up into Washington, D.C., as well.
North, Top Sale Beach, we are seeing a beautiful morning, the sun rise. Wind, though, picking up. You can see the sea oats there blowing, the sea grass there blowing in front of the camera. Winds now at about 20 miles per hour. The surf just off the shore, 26 feet.
HEMMER: Wow.
MYERS: So, those waves will be coming onshore, not that high, because they'll break out there, but, yes.
HEMMER: Yes, they're a pretty picture so far today, but they're going to change rapidly this time tomorrow.
MYERS: It's certainly going downhill, Bill, yes.
HEMMER: Chad, thanks.
OK, see you in about 20 minutes again, all right?
MYERS: Right. Yes.
HEMMER: Good deal.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
