CNN‘s Anderson Cooper was quoted telling a weather expert after learning that the peak of Irene’s mild fury had passed Manhattan. “It’s an annoying rain but it isn’t even a sideways rain.”

Today, some experts are wondering whether Irene media overkill will lead to similar inaction the next time a storm barrels up the Atlantic – even if it really does prove to be a major hurricane.

Jarvis said bluntly last night that his warning to many journalists is that “you’ve ruined your credibility. The next time when it is a Category 5 storm . . . it’s going to sound like this one.”

http://www.philly.com/