Hurricane Erin reached the approach closest to the US East Coast, and was only beginning to move away from North Carolina on August 21, but still unleashed strong waves and rifts, threatening beachfront homes and flood roads as authorities urged people to stay away from the water.
Still a big Category 2 hurricane, Erin makes a turn northeast and is expected to speed up if pulled away from the coast later that day. According to the forecaster, by August 23rd, it should gradually become vulnerable to post-tropical cyclones.
The National Hurricane Center warns that roads on lowland barrier islands will become impassable and strong waves of 15 to 20 feet will crash into land. By the evening of August 20th, the North Carolina Department of Transport had closed parts of Highway 12, a key artery in the outer bank due to flooding.
Massive flooding was predicted at more than half a dozen tidal locations along the Mid-Atlantic coast, including Duck, North Carolina, the Chesapeake Bay entrance, and Lewis, Delaware. The National Weather Service said flooding in some of these locations poses a “significant threat” to property and livelihoods and requires evacuation.
In Chesapeake Bay, at Bay Bridge Tunnel, the tide is expected to reach six feet tall, which could cause extensive flooding and serious flooding to property and life, weather services records show. Serious flooding will extend inland, blowing out flood waterfront and coastline homes and businesses, and some areas will need to be evacuated.
The 8.7-foot tide forecast in Oyster, Virginia, will send water levels two to three feet above dry ground, showing severe flooding that will extend inland, flooding and businesses will cause flooding and evacuation of several roads passing under several feet of water.
Along the North Carolina coastline, tropical storms and storm warnings were in place. Coastal floods were expected to peak at high tide on August 21.
New Jersey has banned swimming and other water activities on the beach, with current warnings of waves and lips up to August 22 in effect, the Weather Service said.
Development:
Erin was a Category 2 hurricane as of 11am on August 21, with maximum sustained winds of 100 mph and higher gusts. It was located about 260 miles east of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, and traveled at 18 mph northeast.
The national National Hurricane Center said it is monitoring two other areas for tropical development in the Atlantic. According to the Hurricane Center, “There’s a 70% chance of the next seven days and the other 40% chance of it.”
Earlier in the week, Dare and Hyde coastal counties located in North Carolina’s Outer Banks area ordered residents and tourists to evacuate the vulnerable Ocracoke and Hatteras Islands, which have seen populations during the summer months.
Erin has the closest approach to the North Carolina coast and will move further offshore, a hurricane forecaster said on the morning of August 21. Erin’s timeline for passing the US East Coast is expected to accelerate somewhat and slowly weaken until it reaches a post-tropical cyclone state.
At 9am on August 21, buoys, about 12 miles east of Buxton, Outer Banks, reported that a third of the waves that occur there averaged 15.1 feet. Previously, about 170 miles east of Cape Hatteras and just west of Erin’s estimated central location, the buoy reported an average wave height of 32 feet, according to the National Marine and Atmospheric Administration.
These large waves, combined with the storm surge, are causing “severe floods” along the outer banks and highway 12, the main arteries passing through the island.
The Atlantic began washing the highways on August 20th, pushing up the dunes through established sand piles to protect the highways and cutting off the sand piles.
On the other side of the island from the sea, there are “minor to moderate” floods on the sound side of the island. The National Weather Service said the floods are expected to last until this evening, but rough waves could continue for several days.
The report of sustained winds from the outside bank on the morning of August 21 was between 25 mph and 40 mph, with gusts at various weather stations along the barrier island chains reaching 54 mph, according to weather services.
Coastal flooding from Hurricane Erin is expected on most of New York City’s waterfront and could affect homes, streets and businesses from Aug. 21 to Aug. 22, city officials warned.
Recommendations are in place across five boroughs, with up to 2/2 feet of flooding expected in some tides by the evening of August 21st, city emergency management said in X. The flood continues with Friday’s storm surge.
Manhattan, Brooklyn, the Bronx and Staten Island are expected to see 1-2 feet of flooding from the evening of August 21st to August 22nd.
Officials advised people near the coastal area to move cars up to the high ground before the tide to protect the basement.
– – Eduardo Cuevas, USA Today
Aerial hits North Carolina Hurricane Erin Elintidal Storm Surge
Aviation footage shows floods in Buxton, North Carolina, as evacuation and swimming bans are issued.
Weather Services and state officials provide the following information:
new york: Extensive dune erosion and beach flooding continue to be high tides through the morning of August 22, with waves up to 15 feet or more, higher than normal. Gusts of winds up to 40 mph are possible, and the best winds are expected along the eastern island.
State officials advised residents to prepare for possible hazardous situations along beaches and coastal communities. New York Mayor Eric Adams led the closure of all beaches on August 20th and August 21st for swimming.
New Jersey/Delaware: On August 21, gusts of tropical storms will be possible along the coast, allowing waves of 7-11 feet to be broken.
Maryland: Tide tides can lead to coastal flooding. A coastal flood advisory has been issued, including an Annapolis flood warning, where flooding is expected in low-lying historic communities.
Virginia: Minor or isolated coastal flooding is expected through the weekend.
This predicted track shows the most likely path in the center of the storm. The full width of the storm or its impact is not shown, and the storm center can move out of the cone for up to 33% of the time.
Contribution: Reuters
