Tropical Storm Hermine on Saturday moved towards US mid-Atlantic and northeastern states after slamming US state of Florida, putting millions of people along the US East Coast under tropical storm. But most people were cleaning up trees and branches felled by the storm.
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Forecasters said the storm which has increased its winds to 70 miles per hour could regain hurricane force later Sunday as it stalls over warm Atlantic water before weakening again to a tropical storm by Tuesday.
And since sea levels have risen up to a foot due to global warming, the storm surges pushed by Hermine could be even more damaging, climate scientists say.
The wind will pick up across the North Fork in the afternoon Sunday, when it is expected rise above 20 miles per hour and remain that way into Tuesday morning.
Governor Pat McCrory had issued a State of Emergency Declaration for the 33 eastern North Carolina counties ahead of the storm “to facilitate the movement of any resources that may be needed to respond to and recover from the storm”.
“There are still significant waves pounding out there right now”, said Jim Bunker, observing program leader at the National Weather Service in Mount Holly. Coastal flooding will be still with us but much less than had been anticipated in many previous forecasts. He called the weekend “definitely disappointing”, although his bounce house was packed. The bridges were reopened later Saturday.
Tropical Storm Hermine is expected to stall off Long Island’s southern coast for the next several days over the Atlantic Ocean, bringing strong winds and flooding to the Island’s coastal areas.
The alert went into effect at 11 a.m. Saturday. The storm will also bring 1 to 2 inches of rain in those areas south of Boston, Field said.
On Friday, the city prepared by banning swimming at its beaches on Sunday because of possible risky riptides.
Hermine was forecast to dump up to seven inches (nearly 18 centimeters) of rain over parts of Virginia and Maryland through Monday morning.
Maximum sustained winds of 95 km/h and moving north-northeast at 22 km/h.
The North Carolina Department of Transportation closed all bridges in Dare County, which includes the coast and the northern barrier islands. They say the highways will reopen once winds die down.
Saturdays are usually busy with thousands of families checking into and out of beach homes. The highest winds will be over the islands, where we could see a few gusts of 50-60 miles per hour.
High tides were reported to be three to four feet above normal high tides around the coast, and one to two feet above the usual around the bay area.
The winds became so strong that state transportation officials closed all bridges to North Carolina’s Outer Banks after a deadly accident over the intracoastal waterway.
Hermine’s timing couldn’t be worse for coastal communities hoping for revenue from Labour Day events.
Southold Town has announced it will close its beaches Monday.
Amtrak cancelled or altered some service as the storm approached. The U.S. Coast Guard is advising boaters and swimmers along the NY and New Jersey coasts to use caution.
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About 300,000 homes were without electricity in Florida, Gov. Rick Scott said Saturday morning.
