Heavy rain and strong winds hit parts of the East Coast of the United States on Tuesday (9), raising concerns about significant damage, power outages, and coastal flooding.
The forecast indicates that some of the strongest winds will concentrate in North Carolina.
In Florida, the storm has already cut power to more than 100,000 homes by 1 PM on Tuesday, according to poweroutage.us. The state’s governor, Ron DeSantis, signed an executive order declaring a state of emergency in 49 of Florida’s 67 counties.
The governor of New Jersey, Phil Murphy, declared a state of emergency and urged residents to stay alert for expected rain, flooding, and strong winds, which could result in significant power outages in the Garden State. The most critical moment of the storm is expected to occur between Tuesday night and early Wednesday morning.
New York City issued a travel advisory and flood warning starting Tuesday night at 6 PM.
What to expect this Tuesday/Wednesday?
• Tornadoes threaten the Southeast: More than 11 million people from Florida to North Carolina are at risk of seeing tornadoes, including some strong ones with winds exceeding 170 km/h. This includes metropolitan areas such as Jacksonville, Florida, and Charleston, South Carolina.
• Rain could cause harmful flooding: Flooding is a significant concern in areas where heavy rains saturate already soaked soils. Several major metropolitan areas along the East Coast may experience flooding, including Atlanta, Georgia, Washington, DC, and New York, where 5 to 10 centimeters of rain are possible.
• Strong winds threaten widespread power outages: Wind gusts could also cause widespread power outages on Tuesday, as more than half of the U.S. population – in areas stretching from the South to the Northeast – are under wind alerts.
• Up to 30 centimeters of snow possible from the central U.S. to the Northeast: winter storm warnings are in effect for areas of eastern Kansas, Nebraska, and eastern Wisconsin, as well as parts of the interior Northeast and New England. Widespread snowfall of 6 to 12 inches is possible, and some areas may see even more. Snowfall is expected to begin tapering off in the central U.S. on Tuesday and in the Midwest, Great Lakes, and Northeast on Wednesday.
Source: CNN