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Tropical Storm Henri Slams Northeast U.S. with High Winds, Flooding Rains

Written by Team Morecast

 

As expected, Henri moved ashore near the Connecticut – Rhode Island border during the midday hours on Sunday. Henri was not quite as strong as feared at landfall, but still spread damaging winds and flooding rainfall across the Northeast. The remnants of the storm have slowed to a crawl, meaning a prolonged and serious flood threat through the next few days.

 

 

 

Henri began producing heavy rainfall over the NYC metro area on Saturday evening. Central Park reported its heaviest hour of rainfall on record with 1.94 inches (50 mm) between 10 pm and 11 pm. The tropical downpour quickly overwhelmed the city’s drainage systems, resulting in high water on streets and numerous stalled vehicles overnight. The heavy rain expanded into portions of New Jersey and Pennsylvania through Sunday morning. Widespread rainfall of 3-6 inches (75-150 mm) fell in the region with isolated amounts up to 10 inches (250 mm) – see map below. Severe flash flooding closed several major highways and interstates and prompted evacuations from stranded vehicles and even homes.

 

 

 

High winds were more of a factor further east near the landfall point of Westerly, Rhode Island. Gusts of 45-60 mph (70-100 kph) were common from eastern CT into RI and the Cape Cod region of southeast Massachusetts. A few stations reported gusts up to 70 mph (110 kph) – see graphic above. These high winds combined with rain-weakened soils to down numerous trees and large branches, compromising powerlines and leading to major disruptions of the region’s power grid. At one point over 75,000 customers were without power in Rhode Island alone. Some of these households will likely be without power for several days. The storm also drove rough surf into area beaches, leading to erosion and in a few cases some minor surge flooding.

Tropical Storm Henri Takes Aim at New England!

Written by Team Morecast

 

Tropical Storm Henri is gaining intensity tonight and is nearly up to hurricane strength. Henri is entering the warm gulf stream waters off the Southeast U.S. coast. Upper level winds are also easing over the storm’s path. These favorable conditions will allow Henri to become a hurricane by early Saturday. Henri has turned north and is picking up speed. Although it is not certain exactly where landfall will occur, residents along the coast of southern New England should prepare for dangerous high winds and storm surge flooding as early as Saturday night.

 

 

Model guidance indicates the hurricane will be pulled north by an upper level low over the Midwest. Landfall will likely be over Long Island on Sunday morning. A destructive storm surge up to five feet will inundate the coast from Long Island through Connecticut, Rhode Island, and southeastern Massachusetts, including the islands of Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard. Freshwater flooding is also likely, especially from Long Island into Connecticut, as rainfall amounts approach 10 inches (250 mm) in spots. Gusty winds up to 80 mph (130 kph) will combine with rain-weakened soils to knock down many trees and powerlines, leading to widespread power outages that could last for days. Conditions over southern New England will deteriorate quickly Saturday evening.

Massive Wildfires Burn Across the American West; Choking Smoke Spreads Across the U.S.

Written by Team Morecast

 

Dozens of wildfires are burning across the Western United States and adjacent Canada, having already consumed well over a million acres in total. Unusually hot and dry weather in the last few months has led to dangerous fire-prone conditions across the region. Now lightning associated with dry monsoonal thunderstorms is sparking fires, many of which are quickly growing out of control. The largest is the Bootleg Fire in drought-stricken Oregon. At nearly 400,000 acres, the fire is bigger than New York City. It is already the third-largest in the state’s modern history. Despite round-the-clock efforts by hundreds of firefighters, as of Tuesday evening it is only 30% contained. The fire has already destroyed numerous homes and businesses and forced thousands to evacuate. Officials expect that it may take months to fully extinguish the massive blaze. Up to 100,000 additional acres may be incinerated by then.

 

 

 

 

The fire is so large and hot, it’s creating its own weather, including towering clouds, lightning, and high winds. These are in turn severely hampering the efforts of firefighters and even sparking new wildfires nearby. Smoke from the Bootleg and other fires is climbing far into the upper atmosphere and being carried thousands of miles by strong jet stream winds. Significant amounts of haze and smoke have spread across the Midwest and Northeastern US, causing major air quality issues in those regions (see tweet from NYC above). Forecasters do not foresee any significant chances for widespread precipitation in the coming weeks over the West, and above-normal temperatures will continue.

Elsa Picking Up Strength, Now a Hurricane Skirting the Florida Coast

Written by Team Morecast

 

Tropical Storm Elsa intensified over the very warm waters of the eastern Gulf of Mexico on Tuesday and was reclassified a hurricane on Tuesday evening. Strong winds and heavy rains are raking the western Florida peninsula. The close passage of the cyclone is hampering rescue efforts associated with the tragic condo building collapse in Surfside, Florida. However, conditions should improve there as the storm pulls away on Tuesday. The hurricane is moving steadily north and will be making landfall on Wednesday morning near Cedar Key, Florida.

 

 

Elsa passed between Jamaica and Haiti over the weekend, then western Cuba on Monday morning. The Florida Keys were next by Monday night (see tweet video above). A peak gust of 70 mph was recorded at Key West. Elsa has turned north and is moving parallel to the west coast of Florida, pulling even with Tampa as of Tuesday night. The west coast of the peninsula is experiencing the stronger, eastern side of the cyclone. However, Elsa is a rather small storm so the worst impacts are limited to the coast and offshore areas. The Big Bend region of Florida will see the worst conditions Tuesday morning, including damaging winds and a significant storm surge likely up to 4-5 feet in prone areas.

 

 

Elsa is expected to move north through northern Florida on Wednesday before affecting Georgia and the coastal Carolinas. The most widespread hazard will be flash flooding (see rainfall forecast above), although locally gusty winds and even a few isolated tornadoes are possible. The storm will pick up speed as it moves northeast towards Cape Cod and Maritime Canada Friday into Saturday.