Nor’easter Update: Coastal Flooding and Tropical Storm Lorenzo
The relentless Nor’easter is in its final stages, with today’s midday or afternoon high tides forecast to be the highest of the storm in some locations. By the high tide cycle overnight, levels will be somewhat lower, and the winds should have subsided substantially. Some rain will linger along the coast into tomorrow, especially in southeastern New England.
The system is stretched south to north along the East Coast with two centers of low pressure – one off the North Carolina coast and one near the Jersey Shore. This accounts for the two areas of significant rainfall. The one near the Carolina coast produced flooding rain, and the other pushed moisture into New England.
Coastal Flooding Warnings
In many spots from Virginia to Long Island, New York, water levels have been running 2 to 3 feet above normal, and slightly higher in a few spots. That’s enough to cause moderate to major flooding, which will continue today. Remember, this is saltwater flooding, which is terrible for your car. Don’t drive through it, even if you know it’s shallow – which sometimes you do not. Try to wash the underside of your car if it’s exposed to saltwater.
This graphic shows flood alerts for North Carolina.
Tropical Storm Lorenzo
The robust tropical disturbance tagged Invest 97L has become Tropical Storm Lorenzo. It’s no threat to land. The system is forecast to track north and loop in the Atlantic by a number of the computer models – just for amusement.
Behind that, a system that moved off Africa yesterday is at a very low latitude. Various computer forecasts show it in the vicinity of the eastern Caribbean islands in about a week. Currently, the general consensus is that it won’t be very strong at that time, but obviously it deserves attention.
South Florida Front
The complex nor’easter system was strong enough to push the cold front through Florida Saturday evening, but some moisture lingered over the southern tip of the state. Dewpoints, a measure of moisture in the air, dropped into the pleasant 60s yesterday morning but inched back up in the afternoon.
Surprisingly, that residual moisture combined with the strong dip in the jet stream that energized the low-pressure center off North Carolina to produce moderate rainfall across parts of South Florida yesterday afternoon.
For more information on the Nor’easter and Tropical Storm Lorenzo, visit Here
Image Source: www.foxweather.com
