Category: Posts EN

Flooding from Hurricane Florence Yet To Subside in Some Areas

Written by Team Morecast

 

The last raindrops from deadly Hurricane Florence fell in the Carolinas more than a week ago. However, the massive amount of water the storm dropped is still moving through the region’s river systems. In fact, one of the larger rivers in the region, the Waccamaw, has yet to crest. Record flooding is ongoing, adding to a damage toll that will eventually put Florence among the top ten costliest cyclones of all time.

 

 

In the NASA satellite image above, you can see the darker sediments and debris flowing into the Atlantic from rain-swollen rivers. Florence dropped close to three feet of rain in some areas of southern North Carolina and eastern South Carolina. The resultant flooding constitutes the bulk of a price tag that Moody’s Analytics predicts will finish between $38 and 50 billion dollars. Even the bottom end of that range would put Florence at sixth on the all-time list of costliest U.S. tropical cyclones. Florence is also being blamed for 48 deaths in the U.S.

 

 

Flood waters have receded in many of the hard-hit areas of the Carolinas. However, the clean-up of thousands of water-damaged homes and businesses will take months. Many of these swamped structures will have to be totally gutted and rebuilt. However, some of the larger rivers are still absorbing runoff from upstream. The Waccamaw River in eastern South Carolina is still rising as of Tuesday evening (see gauge map above). It’s already two to three feet higher than previous record crests. Major towns like Conway and Georgetown are facing widespread flooding (see tweet link below) that will last through the end of the week at least.

 

 

 

Super Typhoon Trami a Harmless Giant for Now

Written by Team Morecast

 

Super Typhoon Trami became the fourth category five cyclone of the 2018 Western Pacific season on Monday. Forward motion has slowed to westward crawl, however. Steering winds will remain quite weak over the next few days and Trami won’t pose an immediate threat to any major land masses. That could change as we head towards this weekend, however!

 

 

Trami will continue to move through a favorable environment over the next few days. Ocean waters lie beneath the storm with weak vertical wind shear above (see map above). These conditions will ensure that Trami remains a strong typhoon despite the slow storm motion that might otherwise lead to weakening.

 

 

Trami is expected to drift slowly north to northwest through the next couple of days. Later in the week, Trami will move more quickly to the north or northwest as steering currents strengthen. Most models bring the system north into the East China Sea by week’s end. The storm’s track after that is uncertain. There’s a strong possibility it could approach the southern islands of Japan this weekend or early next week. We’ve got several days of monitoring left to do, though, before Trami poses that kind of threat.

Fierce Tornadoes Slam the Ottawa, Canada Metro Area!

Written by Team Morecast

 

Severe damage is being reported tonight in the suburbs around Ottawa, straddling the border between Quebec and Ontario. Videos taken from the area confirm that one or more tornadoes moved through around 5 pm ET. These powerful storms have led to injuries, shattered homes and businesses, and nearly 200,000 without power this evening!

 

 

The severe storms erupted earlier on Friday afternoon along a strong front all the way from the U.S. Midwest up through southern Quebec. Particularly strong cells moved along the Quebec-Ontario border late in the afternoon (see radar animation above). One of these cells spawned at least one long-track tornado. It’s also possible there was more than one tornado moving along the same path. The towns of Dunrobin in Ontario and Gatineau in Quebec were especially hard-hit (see map and tweet videos below). A preliminary assessment of the damage depicted by pictures and videos indicate at least an EF-2 tornado moving through a heavily populated suburb of a major city. In fact, the Ottawa International Airport had to switch to backup power Friday evening as the storms rolled through. The severe storms have since diminished and moved into the northeast U.S.

 

 

 

 

Torrential Oklahoma Rains Threaten State Record!

Written by Team Morecast

 

A stationary front has been the focus for storm activity and heavy rainfall throughout the day today in Oklahoma. The heaviest amounts have been tallied in a band across southern portions of the state. One station has recorded more than 13 inches (330 mm) so far, close to the state record for most rainfall in 24 hours!

 

 

Remnants of a tropical depression that was in the Gulf of California a few days ago have drifted slowly into the southern Plains. The combination of tropical moisture and a slow-moving upper low have prompted the heavy rains (see map above for totals). The Fittstown observation has recorded the heaviest amount so far, 13.26 inches (337 mm) as of mid-evening. These rains have overwhelmed the local drainage system, putting the entire town of Ada, population 17,000+, underwater. Officials have urged residents to avoid attempts to travel unless absolutely necessary through tonight. The picturesque Turner Falls, normally a sunny swimming spot, have become a raging torrent (see bottom tweet). Fortunately, the heavy rain bands will gradually diminish over the region tonight. Lead photo courtesy Marvin Naumann with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).