Hurricane Erin picking up steam as it edges along the East Coast
Forecasters expect the storm to peak over the next 48 hours and say it could re-intensify into a major hurricane by Wednesday night.
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Global News
5 hours ago
- Global News
Hurricane Erin: Storm won't make landfall in N.S., but will bring very high waves
While Hurricane Erin is not expected to come close to land in the Maritimes, it is still likely to play havoc on both land and sea in Nova Scotia. Global News meteorologist Ross Hull said that the hurricane's effects will be felt in the area on Friday. 'Even though Erin is moving well to the south of the area, it is such a large storm that some impacts will be felt mainly from large ocean swells, rough surf, as well as rip currents for the Atlantic coast of Nova Scotia,' Hull explained. 'There is the potential for waves to reach 4 to 5 metres especially over southwestern parts of Nova Scotia.' He said that winds are also expected to be stronger along the coastline. 'Some gusty winds up to 70 km/h could also reach the coastline in the southwestern coast of Nova Scotia on Friday,' Hull offered. Story continues below advertisement Fire crews are racing against the clock to prepare for the hurricane's effects as they continue battling a large wildfire raging in Annapolis Valley. 'The winds won't be as strong more inland where the Long Lake wildfire is in Annapolis County,' Hull said. 'However, winds will be picking up out of the northeast initially with some gusts 40 to 50 km/h. Then after the storm passes to the south, a change in wind direction, becoming a west/northwest wind but easing in intensity on Saturday.' He added, 'the gusty winds along with the changing wind direction could pose some challenges to firefighters.' Get daily National news Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy Winds of 50 km/h will certainly cause the fire to 'move or spread,' Jim Rutterham, director of fleet and forest protection, told reporters on Thursday. 'We are expecting wind tomorrow. It's like how much rain we're going to get — we're going to have to wait till tomorrow comes,' he said. For the past couple of days, provincial officials have reported that the fire has remained about 3,200 hectares in size but they know Hurricane Erin could be an issue. They have a meteorologist and a fire growth modeler on staff who are keeping a tab on the fire and trying to plot its course. Story continues below advertisement 'They're assessing the fuels — the weather, the topography — and doing their very best to try to map and model what this fire might do given the weather conditions,' Scott Tingley, manager of forest protection, said at a press conference on Wednesday. 'We also have a fire behaviour analyst who's supporting the data collection right at the fire site. 'You know, there are a lot of variables but we've definitely got a very strong team that's working on providing the best intelligence to the team that is managing the fire.' 2:03 Clear-cutting and what role it may have played in wildfire situation There are about 74 homes on the north end of the fire in West Dalhousie which have been evacuated since last Saturday. Those fighting the blaze have been working to prevent the fire from getting at the structures. They have also been doubling down on those efforts with Hurricane Erin fast approaching. Story continues below advertisement 'They've been using heavy equipment to build a fire break or fire guard out around the perimeter on the north side,' Tingley said Thursday. 'So that's meant to remove fuel from out in front of the fire, and they've been suppressing that active perimeter.' It has been forecast that the wind will shift on Sunday which would push the fire in a northerly direction. 'They're focusing on just really trying to make that as cold as they can ahead of these wind shifts in the weekend to mitigate as much as possible any potential spread that could result from the wind shifts,' Tingley offered.
Toronto Star
5 hours ago
- Toronto Star
Hurricane Erin still stirring up dangerous waves while it moves away from the East Coast
RODANTHE, N.C. (AP) — Hurricane Erin kicked up big waves Thursday along the mid-Atlantic coast and began a slow march out to sea after pelting North Carolina's Outer Banks with strong winds and swells that flooded a few places on the barrier islands. The storm will continue to bring the threat of dangerous rip currents and coastal flooding into the weekend from the Carolinas to New England even as forecasters predict it will gradually weaken while moving farther away from the East Coast.
National Observer
12 hours ago
- National Observer
Hurricane Erin pacts strong winds and floods part of a NC highway as it slowly moves out to sea
Hurricane Erin battered North Carolina's Outer Banks with strong winds and waves that flooded part of the main highway and surged under beachfront homes as the monster storm slowly began to move away from the East Coast on Thursday. Forecasters predicted the storm would peak Thursday and said it could regain strength and once again become a major hurricane, Category 3 or greater, but it was not forecast to make landfall along the East Coast before turning farther out to sea. Tropical storm conditions were in effect over parts of the Outer Banks and the coast of Virginia, the National Hurricane Center in Miami said. In Bermuda, residents and tourists were told to stay out of the water with rough seas expected through Friday. As Erin's outer bands brushed the Outer Banks, water poured onto the main route connecting the barrier islands and a handful of stilted homes precariously perched above the beach. By Wednesday evening, officials had closed Highway 12 on Hatteras Island as the surge increased and waves rose. The road remained closed Thursday. Ocracoke Island's connection to its ferry terminal was cut off. Authorities predicted that the largest swells during high tide would cut off villages and homes on the Outer Banks and whip up life-threatening rip currents from Florida to New England. Beaches were closed to swimming Wednesday and Thursday in New York City, and some others in New Jersey, Maryland and Delaware were temporarily off-limits. Widespread, moderate coastal flooding was forecast for low-lying areas of Long Island and parts of New York City. Hurricane Erin stirs up strong winds and floods part of a NC highway as it slowly moves out to sea. Off Massachusetts, Nantucket Island could see waves of more than 10 feet (3 meters) this week. But the biggest threat remained along the Outer Banks where longtime residents didn't seem too concerned. 'I remember taking canoes out of my front yard to get to school, so I don't think it's gonna be that bad,' said Jacob Throne, who lives on Hatteras Island and works for surf shops. Despite beach closures elsewhere, some swimmers continued to ignore the warnings. Rescuers saved more than a dozen people caught in rip currents Tuesday at Wrightsville Beach in North Carolina, a day after more than 80 people were rescued. Bob Oravec, a National Weather Service forecaster, said that even if someone thinks they know how to handle a rip current, it's not safe. 'You can be aware all you want,' he said. 'It can still be dangerous.' A combination of fierce winds and huge waves estimated at about 20 feet (6.1 meters) could cause coastal flooding in many beachfront communities, North Carolina officials warned. 'Dangerous conditions can be felt far from the eye, especially with a system as large as Erin,' said Will Ray, the state's emergency management director. Dozens of beach homes already worn down from chronic erosion and protective dunes could be at risk, said David Hallac, superintendent of the Cape Hatteras National Seashore. Most residents decided to stay despite evacuations ordered on Hatteras and Ocracoke Islands. 'We probably wouldn't stay if it was coming directly at us,' said Rob Temple, who operates sailboat cruises on Ocracoke. His biggest concern was whether the main route would wash out and if tourists and delivery trucks may be cut off from the thin stretch of low-lying islands, which are increasingly vulnerable to storm surges. Erin has become an unusually large and deceptively worrisome system, with tropical storm-force winds spreading across 500 miles (800 kilometers) — roughly the distances from New York City to Pittsburgh. It remained a Category 2 hurricane early Thursday with maximum sustained winds around 105 mph (165 kph), the hurricane center said. Erin was about 205 miles (330 kilometers) east-southeast of Cape Hatteras and moving north-northeast at 17 mph (28 kph). The hurricane center was also watching two tropical disturbances far out in the Atlantic that could develop into named storms in the coming days. With thousands of miles of warm ocean water, hurricanes known as Cape Verde storms are some of the most dangerous that threaten North America. Climate scientists say Atlantic hurricanes are now much more likely to rapidly intensify into powerful and catastrophic storms, fueled by warmer oceans.
