Category: Posts EN

Severe Flooding Paralyzes Parts of New York City!

Written by Team Morecast

 

A stationary band of heavy rain has been dumping torrential rates over New York City since early this morning. Rainfall of 4-8 inches (100-200 mm) has fallen as of early Friday afternoon, overwhelming urban drainage systems and resulting in widespread flooding. The city’s transit systems have been shut down with several feet of water over roadways leading to stalled cars and buses. Subway tracks and stations are also underwater. Air travelers are also facing delays and disruptions due to water in the terminals at La Guardia Airport. A state of emergency has been declared by the governor of New York.

 

 

 

 

 

A slow moving low originating in the tropics has been drifting off the US East Coast. An upper low moving in from the west has pulled this tropical moisture up into the NYC metro area today. The density of population and the prevalence of paved ground surfaces mean the city is particularly vulnerable to flash flooding. Serious flood reports have been coming in from four of the five boroughs (Staten Island excepted). Poor drainage areas have been overwhelmed on the major highways such as the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway (BQE), leading to high water and stalled vehicles. In many areas excess runoff from roads has no where to drain except into the subway system. Many thousands of NYC residents also live in basement apartments, a dire situation that lead to fatalities during the city’s last major flooding episode in 2021.

Major Hurricane Idalia Slams Southeastern US with Severe Flooding, Tornadoes

Written by Team Morecast

 

Idalia rapidly gained strength on Tuesday, becoming a major Category Four storm as it sliced north through the Gulf of Mexico. The hurricane made landfall around 8 a.m. ET Wednesday near Keaton Beach, bringing sustained winds to 125 mph (200 kph) and a storm surge as high as 16 feet (4.9 m). It’s the strongest storm since 1896 to hit Florida’s Big Bend region. The storm moved quickly north through Wednesday evening, bringing serious impacts to Georgia and the Carolinas.

 

 

 

Storm surge resulted in record flooding for a lengthy stretch of the Florida Gulf Coast. The hurricane-induced surge was enhanced by a rare “blue supermoon”. This is the second full moon within the month as well as the closest approach of the moon to the earth. As a result, tides are higher than normal, exacerbating the impact of storm surge. Several tidal stations reported their highest mark ever, including Tampa Bay, more than 100 miles away from the landfall point. Winds gusting over 100 mph (160 kph) helped bring down many trees and powerlines, resulting in hundreds of thousands losing power.

 

 

Significant hazards accompanied the storm long after the Florida landfall. Surge flooding affected the coast of Georgia and South Carolina. Charleston Harbor recorded its fifth-highest water level ever. Isolated tropical tornadoes also raced across portions of the South Carolina lowcountry (see video above). Widespread heavy rainfall of 4-8 inches have led to deadly flash flooding and will eventually raise streams and rivers above flood stage in the coming days.

Catastrophic Flooding Shuts Down Southern Cal as Hilary Roars North

Written by Team Morecast

 

History was made over the weekend as Hurricane Hilary moved north just off the Baja California. The storm weakened rapidly as expected. However, Hilary still managed to make landfall in the L.A. Basin Sunday night as a tropical storm, the first since 1939. Gusty winds affected the immediate coast but by far the most widespread and severe impacts have been from heavy rain.

 

 

Prolonged southerly flow has pumped copious moisture from the tropical Pacific into the Southwest US, especially southern California. Rainfall of 3-6 inches (75-150 mm) has been common over the high deserts and mountains with amounts of 1-3 inches (25-75 mm) in metro Los Angeles. The 4-5 inches (100-125 mm) recorded around Palmdale are close to the yearly average for the area. The heaviest bands were producing up to one inch per hour at times in places like Burbank and Palm Springs.

 

 

 

 

This torrential rainfall has led to widespread flash flooding as well as mud and rock slides. Major highways and interstates across the region have been damaged, closing off whole communities. Additional major flooding will spread north through Nevada and into the Northern Rockies. Lead photo courtesy Flickr contributor David O.

Devastating Tornadoes Level Towns Across the Midwest USA

Written by Team Morecast

 

The worst severe storm outbreak since 2021 struck the Midwest U.S. on Friday. At least 65 tornado reports have been tallied so far by the Storm Prediction Center across eight states (see map below). So far nine deaths have been attributed to the storms with dozens more hospitalized.

 

 

The outbreak was widely anticipated by forecasters in the days leading up to Friday. The SPC (Storm Prediction Center) issued a rare “High Risk” severe storm outlook for the first time in more than two years. Storms developed first from Iowa into Missouri and Arkansas in the midday before sprinting east across the Mississippi River. The severe storms continued well into the overnight, a particularly dangerous situation as the lack of daylight visibility increases the risk that people will be caught off guard.

 

 

 

The worst tornadoes struck the northern Little Rock metro area and the city of Wynne, Arkansas. Little Rock is the capital of Arkansas and the state’s largest city. A devastating tornado rolled across the northern suburbs a little after two p.m. local time (see video above). Two hours later, another strong tornado touched down in the smaller city of Wynne. Officials there described “total destruction” through the heart of downtown, including the high school where dozens were trapped. Other severe tornadoes struck Iowa, Tennessee, Illinois, and Indiana (see video of damage above). The roof of the Apollo Theater in Belvidere, IL collapsed due to strong winds, leaving one dead and dozens more seriously injured. Lead photo courtesy Flickr contributor Lane Pearman.