Update on Isabel

If the storm was moving to the north, we would be getting right in the core of it, with 5-10 inches of rain and stronger winds.

But it continues to move to the northwest and is actually picking up speed.

Because of the flood potential, especially in places like Chester, New Castle counties, from all the rain that occurred on Monday, a flood watch is in effect for the area.

The rain is coming and you can see across the center, if you draw a line, it is moving closer to Pittsburgh than Philadelphia.

It is moving so fast that it is not having much time to weaken so they will get hammered in Virginia and there could be some serious flooding there.

This is what the track is likely to do overnight tonight. By tomorrow morning, the storm is moving through central-western Pennsylvania, but it is such a huge storm, the storm-force winds are 350 miles across.

So we expect 3 to 5 inches of rain across extreme Delaware and parts of South Jersey, with 10-15-foot waves.

In the Philadelphia area, expect 1 to 3 inches of rain, with gusts to 50 miles per hour.

And tomorrow late, the final band from the storm could come through and there's the potential for some severe thunderstorms late Friday or Friday evening. Much of the day Friday could be dry.

N.J. Declares State Of Emergency, Wilmington Orders Evacuations
Gov. James E. McGreevey declared a state of emergency as of 4 p.m. A spokeswoman said the move was a precautionary measure that would allow the governor to take steps to deal with any crisis, including mobilizing the National Guard and the state police to provide aid in needed areas if Isabel causes serious problems in the state.

"New Jersey is fully prepared and equipped to handle Hurricane Isabel," McGreevey said. "The necessary safeguards are in place, and with the state of emergency declaration we can ensure that all of our resources are ready if needed."

And Wilmington Mayor James Baker is telling people to evacuate the low-lying eastern and southern sections of the city.

His office says his advisory will become mandatory at 6 p.m.

A spokesman for Governor Ruth Ann Minner estimates the order will affect 4,000 people in 1,000 homes.

The spokesman says shelters in northern Delaware have room for evacuees.

Meanwhile, in New Castle County, authorities have been using a "reverse 9-1-1" system to make calls to residents. When people receive the calls, they hear a message warning them about the possibility of flooding.

From The NWS and AP
Hurricane Isabel has headed inland Thursday, battering the coast with roaring wind and pounding surf. Hundreds of thousands of homes and businesses were blacked out, and air travel was disrupted across the East.

Rain flew across the beaches at a 45-degree angle, driven by wind that turned sand grains into darts and howled like jet engines.

The eye of the hurricane came ashore about 1 p.m. along the southern Outer Banks, between Cape Lookout and Ocracoke Island, the National Hurricane Center said. About 100 of Ocracoke's more than 900 residents had chosen to ride out the storm.

The huge storm spread rain across North Carolina and Virginia and into Maryland, Delaware and parts of West Virginia and Pennsylvania.

More than 638,000 customers had lost power by early afternoon in southeastern Virginia and eastern North Carolina, according to Dominion Virginia Power and other power companies.

The federal government shut down in Washington. Amtrak halted service south of Washington, and the Washington-area Metro system shut down all subway and bus service.

Well over 1,500 flights were canceled at airports in the major eastern cities, said David Stempler, president of the Air Travelers Association.

Because of the already wet soil from a rainy summer, the U.S. Geological Survey said there was a potential of landslides in West Virginia, Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania and New York.

Article continues below

---

advertisement

---

Author: Copyright 2003 by NBC 10. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.