Gov. Chris Christie warned that minor to moderate flooding was still likely in coastal areas and said the storm will cause major problems, even as it tracks eastward into the Atlantic.
Advertisement
A tropical storm warning has been issued for New York City and Long Island as Hermine heads up the East Coast and toward the New York City area this Labor Day weekend. The winds are expected to increase from the Northeast at 20 – 30 miles per hour with gusts to 40 miles per hour by late this afternoon along the coast. That could result in power failures and downed tree limbs.
The beach, one of the state’s most popular, had been closed for most of the holiday weekend because initial forecasts called for more severe weather conditions.
NHC forecasters said in the update that if storm surge occurs at the time of high tide, the coast of Long Island from Fire Island Inlet to Port Jefferson Harbor could see between one and two feet of surge.
New York City appeared largely out of harm’s way, with forecasters giving Manhattan just a 1-in-3 chance of being hit by tropical storm-force winds as Hermine creeps up the East Coast, Berg said.
But communities are gearing up for the potential for flooding.
The storm is only projected to bring about an inch of rain to the area with no prolonged periods of rainfall over the next several days, according to the NWS. But “this is going to be a pretty significant storm”, he said.
But for now its strongest winds were extending outward by about 230 miles, failing to reach U.S. shores, the NHC said. “It’s attractive out, the birds are out”, said Kathleen Wilkinson, a Philadelphia lawyer with a vacation home in Cape May.
His shopping cart held bottles of sparkling water. He said he checked Sunday morning and it seemed Hermine was expected to linger farther away. “Half the ship is in the room right now over the toilet”, Beidermann said. In Rye, a noontime crowd filled the open-air tables at Ruby’s Oyster Bar and Bistro. Authorities said all bridges in Dare would be closed until the winds died down.
As of 1:30 p.m., the Sound was a gentle tableau of boats.
The National Hurricane Center said waves as high as 10 to 14 feet were possible. “Waves could be quite high and it doesn’t take much to flip those small boats”.
On the Virginia Beach boardwalk, the Atlantic Ocean roared with uncharacteristically large waves, drawing only a couple of surfers into the choppy white water.
Officials warned about risky rip currents and high surf, which are possible through mid-week. “We don’t have all the facts yet”. But, the move could also trigger Hermine to develop hurricane-force winds tonight and Monday due to the warmer waters it will travel over, which could push water to the shores even harder.
Advertisement
“Wind and water hazards of a variety of kinds are things we have to contend with throughout Labor Day weekend”, National Hurricane Center director Rick Knabb said Saturday.
