Storm on the Caribbean – Courtesy: Shutterstock – Image by Drew McArthur
As it moves up the East Coast, a storm that is getting stronger is wreaking havoc on Florida with strong winds and heavy rain, posing a threat to travel, power outages, flooding, and hazardous surf.
Showers and thunderstorms have already impacted a large portion of Florida, and this system’s effects are just getting started.
“This is only a precursor of what is to come as the storm center is still located over the eastern Gulf of Mexico while gathering strength more rapidly,” the Weather Prediction Center said Saturday.
The Storm Prediction Center reports that over 15 million people could be in danger of severe thunderstorms with damaging winds on Sunday in portions of Florida, the Carolinas, and Virginia.
“Stay home unless it is absolutely necessary to go out,” the Miami-Dade County Department of Emergency Management warned as heavy rains soaked roads.
Residents were advised to remain vigilant for potential tornado warnings overnight by the Tampa Bay office of the Weather Service.
“As the warm front with this system lifts northward, our wind and tornado threat will increase overnight as the low-level wind field strengthens,” forecasters wrote on X.
Travel in those areas will be difficult, the weather service said, “If possible, remain in the lower levels of your home during the windstorm, and avoid windows. Use caution if you must drive.”
The heaviest rain is expected in the Carolinas and coastal Georgia as the storm strengthens and begins to accelerate up the coast. Rain will begin across the mid-Atlantic and parts of the Northeast by Sunday afternoon, but the heaviest will arrive late Sunday and Sunday night.
Hours of steady rainfall may lead to flooding in urban areas and spots with poor drainage.
Strong wind gusts will slam coastal areas from the Southeast through the mid-Atlantic on Sunday and the coastal Northeast at night. Gusts of 40 to 50 mph are possible for much of the coast.
The combination of strong winds and heavy rainfall will likely slow travel across a swath of the region, especially the busy I-95 corridor. Gusty winds and reduced visibility may also delay some air travel.
The storm is expected to hug the East Coast and head northeast out of Florida on Sunday, spreading its effects from Georgia to areas of the Northeast. There is a chance of heavy rain in parts of South Carolina that extend north into Pennsylvania and New Jersey.
Due to the possibility of toppled trees and power lines, the National Weather Service issued high wind advisories for parts of southern Connecticut, southeastern New York, and Boston on Sunday.
The Weather Prediction Center has provided the following chronology of the storm’s path:
- Early on Sunday morning, the storm’s center is expected to approach Florida’s west coast, and throughout the entire state, winds are predicted to pick up even more power.
- By Sunday, the center is predicted to pass around the coast of the Southeast United States, bringing strong gusts and a lot of rain to the coastal plains.
- The intense rain should be subsiding across the Southeast by Sunday night, but it will move swiftly into the Mid-Atlantic states.
- On Monday, the storm core is expected to move towards New England as it continues to affect a large portion of the eastern United States.
On Monday, the storm will strengthen to its strongest point, just in time to cause significant disruption across much of the Northeast. During this time, it is expected to track around the Northeast coast, while it may also travel further inland.
Whatever its precise course, on Monday the storm will have nor’easter-like effects (but without the snow) on the coastal Northeast.
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Melissa’s career in writing started more than 20 years ago. Today, she lives in South Florida with her husband and two boys.
