Louisiana residents clean up after Francine
Louisiana residents are busy cleaning up after Storm Francine made landfall as a Category 2 hurricane.
A “home-grown” weather system forming off the Carolinas could strengthen into a tropical storm as it makes its way toward the coast, bringing days of strong winds, rain and flooding, meteorologists warned Sunday.
Details remained uncertain as it is a “rapidly developing” storm that would be named Helene if its sustained winds reach 39 mph, the National Weather Service office in Morehead City, North Carolina, said. Due to the persistent nature of the storm, it was expected to remain chaotic whether or not it reached tropical storm status.
“We are monitoring the approaching low pressure system off the southeast coast,” the weather service tweeted on Sunday. “Conditions will worsen today with gusty winds, dangerous sea conditions, minor coastal flooding and strong surf backwash.”
AccuWeather said heavy rains will begin in parts of North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia as early as Sunday evening. Rainfall totals over the next few days will reach 4 to 8 inches in many areas — some places could even exceed 20 inches. Coastal flooding, surf backwash and beach erosion could extend from northeast Florida to Delaware, according to AccuWeather.
Storm Tracker: Tropical Storm Gordon, remnants of Francine and another storm approaching
Further developments:
∎ Ileana weakened to a tropical depression on Sunday, a day after it struck as a tropical storm near the tourist town of Cabo San Lucas on the coast of Mexico. Further weakening is forecast, and Ileana should become a “remnant low” by the end of the day.
∎Tropical Storm Gordon lost strength over the Atlantic and is expected to weaken into a tropical depression during the course of Sunday. Gordon poses no threat to the mainland, the National Weather Service said.
More than 16,000 homes and businesses in Louisiana still had power four days after Category 2 Hurricane Francine struck. The storm, which downed trees, flooded coastal areas and knocked out power in four states, also hit key offshore oil and natural gas production areas. Nearly a fifth of crude oil production and 28 percent of natural gas production in U.S. federal waters of the Gulf of Mexico were unavailable on Sunday, the U.S. Offshore Energy Regulatory Agency said.
“Once all standard testing is completed, undamaged equipment will resume production immediately,” the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement said in a statement. “Damaged equipment may take longer to return online.”
The weather front off the Carolinas could reach tropical storm strength in the next few days, producing gusts of up to 80 mph and causing power outages, Accuweather warned, adding that landfall is most likely to occur on the North Carolina coast near the South Carolina border late Monday night.
“Some access roads to the barrier islands could be blocked by floodwaters or damaged by erosion,” said Alex Sosnowski, AccuWeather’s senior meteorologist. “Beach homes could be at risk.”
North Carolina’s Outer Banks are known for rip currents that can be dangerous for swimmers. The new system has increased the risk, the weather service said in an update Sunday. The good news: The most likely time for strong rip currents on Sunday was a few hours before and after low tide, which occurred before noon. Still, the risk of rip currents remained, and the update warned inexperienced swimmers to avoid the water.
“Rip currents can sweep even the best swimmers away from shore into deeper water,” the update warned. “Dangerous surf rip currents can throw a swimmer or surfer headfirst onto the bottom, causing neck and back injuries.”
The storm would attain tropical depression status when a center emerges and winds become circular. Tropical storm status would be attained and the storm would be named when sustained winds reach 39 mph.
AccuWeather called the storm a relatively rare “homegrown development,” as most tropical systems during hurricane season develop thousands of miles south over the central Atlantic and then move west toward the coast.
Contributors: Reuters
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