Slow-moving Hermine was still delivering strong winds, unsafe storm surges and rip currents to the Northeast Sunday after causing destruction along its path, which began in Florida and stretched up the East Coast.
Advertisement
WAVY meteorologist Jeremy Wheeler reported that storm could strengthen as it moves out into the Atlantic Ocean. The storm will then turn north and regain strength on Sunday and stall off the coast Sunday night into Monday.
“Hermine is expected to intensify to hurricane force on Sunday”, the NHC said in its latest bulletin.
Hundreds of thousands of residents in Florida lost power when the storm made landfall, and Gov. Rick Scott declared a state of emergency in 51 counties, which were cleaning up after thrashing winds and up to almost 2 feet of rain in some areas. Post-tropical storm Hermine is again nearing hurricane strength, the US National Weather Service said yesterday, posing a “danger of life-threatening inundation” from New Jersey to CT.
People posted pictures of flooding and high tides from North Carolina to Delaware. “It was terrible”, she said.
“When my wife got up this morning, she said, ‘Go home and check on the house”.
The threat of severe weather has led to the cancellation of concerts over the weekend and the closure of beaches in several coastal communities.
Hermine’s stiff winds and risky rip currents threatened eastern Massachusetts Monday, while cruise ship passengers were reeling from a wild ride in rough seas.
Monday has the highest chance for precipitation and gusty winds.
Projections show the outer reaches of the storm could sweep the coastlines of Rhode Island or MA later in the week.
Clouds should increase overnight and rain and wind are possible along the entire New Jersey coast Monday morning.
“Don’t be lulled by the nice weather”, Christie said, referring to the bright sunny skies along the Jersey Shore on Sunday afternoon. “It was just the most very bad thing you think would happen”.
“This is not a beach weekend for anyone in the Mid-Atlantic to the northeast”, said Eric Blake, a hurricane specialist at the National Hurricane Center in Miami. Emergency officials warned that anyone who stays will not be able to leave after ferries shut down Sunday evening.
Hermine, the first hurricane to make landfall in Florida in 11 years, swept ashore on Friday near the town of St Marks with winds of 129 kmph.
Hermine (her-MEEN) already caused two deaths, damaged properties and left hundreds of thousands without electricity from Florida to Virginia.
Further north, the town of Atlantic Beach, North Carolina, suffered heavy flooding.
The Florida Division of Emergency Management said on Twitter on Sunday that almost 80,000 utility customers were still without electricity.
At 2 p.m. local time, the National Hurricane Center placed the storm center about 93 miles (150 kilometers) east of the Outer Banks of North Carolina.
Potential storm-surge inundation levels of no more than 1 to 3 feet (30 cm to 1 m) were expected in coastal areas.
In other words, about two-thirds of the 8,726 total flood days identified in the report could be said to be human-caused due to climate change. “And it’s only the beginning”.
Tyrell County Sheriff Darryl Liverman told the Virginian-Pilot that high winds tipped over an 18-wheeler, killing its driver and shutting down the US 64 bridge. John Mayes, 56, was sleeping in a tent behind a gas station in Ocala, about 65 miles northwest of Orlando, when a tree fell onto him Thursday night, the Marion County Sheriff’s Office said. But he said he wasn’t aware of any buildings that were actually flooded in his neighborhood. “And if your power was out, you kind of bounced around to find a restaurant or grocery store that still had power”.
“There could be significant challenges no limited to lose of power or transportation issues”, Malloy said.
Advertisement
While that nuisance flooding is increasing, major storms are hitting that ordinarily would be damaging, but in the new era of higher sea levels can be even more deadly.
