Erin re-intensifies into category 4 hurricane
The hurricane was about 965 miles (1,555 km) south-southeast of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, packing maximum sustained winds of 130 mph (215 kph).
"Some additional strengthening is expected over the next 12 hours followed by gradual weakening," NHC said.
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Daily Mail
14 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Hurricane Erin threatens US East Coast with life-threatening conditions as mandatory evacuations are ordered
A State of Emergency has been declared in parts of North Carolina as Hurricane Erin approaches, bringing life-threatening surf and dangerous rip currents. Officials in Dare County, home to more than 38,000 residents, ordered mandatory evacuations beginning at 10am ET on Monday. Beaches along the Outer Banks could see waves reaching 20 feet starting Tuesday, the National Hurricane Center warned. Erin is currently about 951 miles south-southeast of Cape Hatteras, moving northwest at 13 mph. Maximum sustained winds have reached 130 mph, making it a major Category 4 hurricane. However, it briefly reached Category 5 status on Saturday with the eye about 130 miles east-northeast of Grand Turk Island. Richard Pasch of the NHC said: 'You´re dealing with a major hurricane. The intensity is fluctuating. It´s a dangerous hurricane in any event.' The storm is expected to affect the Tri-State Area from Tuesday through Thursday, particularly along the Jersey Shore and Long Island's South Shore. Coastal communities, including New York City beaches, could face rip currents, high surf with waves up to 12 feet, flooding, beach erosion, and wind gusts of 20 to 40 mph. On Sunday, North Carolina officials ordered evacuations for Hatteras Island, including the unincorporated villages of Rodanthe, Waves, Salvo, Avon, Buxton, Frisco and Hatteras. 'Now is the time to secure property, finalize plans, and evacuate with belongings,' officials wrote on Facebook. 'Please follow instructions from officials and property managers.' A similar situation is unfolding in nearby Hyde County, where officials declared a State of Emergency for Ocracoke Island in anticipation of flooding. Mandatory evacuations began for visitors at 8pm Sunday and are set for residents at 6am Tuesday. Donnie Shumate, Hyde County Public Information Officer, said: 'While Hurricane Erin is expected to stay well off our coast, the system will continue to increase in size and is forecast to bring life-threatening impacts to the Ocracoke coastline and render Highway 12 impassable.' As of around 5am Monday, Erin was about 105 miles north-northeast of Grand Turk Island. The NHC said that Hurricane Erin should make a gradual turn toward the north later Monday and into Tuesday. Erin's outer bands drenched parts of Puerto Rico (pictured) and the US Virgin Islands with heavy rain and tropical-storm–force winds on Sunday The Bahamas government issued a Tropical Storm Watch for the central Bahamas, while a Tropical Storm Warning remained in effect for the Turks and Caicos Islands and southeast Bahamas. Additional strengthening is forecast for Monday, followed by gradual weakening, though Erin is expected to remain a large, major hurricane into midweek. The NHC noted: 'Even though some weakening is forecast beginning Monday night, Erin will remain a large and dangerous major hurricane through the middle of the week.' Hurricane-force winds extend up to 60 miles from the center, with tropical-storm-force winds reaching outward up to 230 miles. The area of strong winds is expected to expand over the next few days, meaning Erin could impact coastal areas even without making a direct landfall. Erin's outer bands drenched parts of Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands with heavy rain and tropical-storm–force winds on Sunday. The storm knocked out power for roughly 147,000 customers, Luma Energy, the island's power transmission and distribution company, reported. More than 20 flights were canceled due to the severe weather. By Sunday evening, the Coast Guard allowed all ports in Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands to reopen as conditions improved. Rough seas are forecast across parts of the Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, Hispaniola and the Turks and Caicos. Life-threatening surf and dangerous rip currents are expected into midweek for the Bahamas, Bermuda, the US East Coast, and Canada's Atlantic coast as Erin turns north and then northeast. Scientists have linked the rapid intensification of Atlantic hurricanes to climate change. Rising global temperatures increase atmospheric moisture and warm ocean waters, providing hurricanes with more fuel to strengthen quickly and produce heavier rainfall.
Daily Mirror
2 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
Bank holiday scorcher for parts of UK - but it's not good news for all
New weather maps from WXCharts turn a fiery red on Bank Holiday Monday as some parts of the UK see highs of 28C - but other parts could face extreme weather conditions thanks to a storm barrelling across the Atlantic After a roasting weekend many Brits will be hoping the glorious weather will be here to stay for the upcoming Bank Holiday weekend. But the Met Office has forecast both misery and sunshine as some parts of the country will be blessed with glorious weather, while others could face the knock-on effects of a hurricane currently tearing across the US. On Saturday and Sunday, the warmest areas will be in southern and central England, with parts of Wales also feeling the heat as temperatures hit and even exceed the mid 20s. Further north will be noticeably cooler, where the mercury will drop below 20C, with some parts of Scotland seeing highs of only 15C. On Sunday, maps show the the band of warmth expanding outwards to coastal areas, ratcheting up the temperatures in popular seaside towns on the east coast like Southend and Cornwall in the south west. By Monday, the country will be heating up as London and parts of the Essex and Norfolk coast are expected to see highs of 28C. However, traditional seaside resorts on the south coast, like Brighton, will be far cooler, falling below 20C in some places. In the north, another family favourite for the Bank Holiday weekend is Blackpool, where temperatures are expected to hit 22C. It will be hotter further inland as Manchester, Yorkshire, and the Midlands show temperatures reaching 24-26C on Monday. As the rest of the country heats up, temperatures look set to plummet in Scotland, with Edinburgh and Glasgow sitting around 15C and the mercury plunging to just 13C in the Highlands. There will be one pocket of warmth in Aberdeen where a balmy 21C is expected.. The national forecaster has also warned some parts of the UK could face a Bank Holiday washout as the powerful Hurricane Erin - that is expected to bring dangerous conditions to the US East Coast this week - delivers misery to Brits hoping for a glimpse of sunshine before summer is out. Its winds reached 130mph as the hurricane re-strengthened to a Category 4 on Sunday and pummelled Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. Its impact could spell a potentially "wetter and windier" end to the school summer holidays as a deep area of low pressure develops in the North Atlantic, the Met Office said. While most of the country is expecting "widely fine and dry weather", the north and the west of the UK is expected to feel the force of the changeable conditions through the last week of August. However, the forecaster did advise the evolution of the storm is "highly uncertain", suggesting the forecast could change as the week rolls on. In its advisory for the summer Bank Holiday weekend, the national forecaster said: "High pressure is likely to be the dominant feature at first bringing widely fine and dry weather whilst a generally northerly flow leads to rather cool conditions. "This will be increasingly eroded from the west as frontal systems start to move in from the Atlantic through the weekend, leading to more changeable conditions. "Whilst this is happening a deep area of low pressure is likely to develop in the North Atlantic, linked to Hurricane Erin. "This likely progresses towards the UK through the early part of the week. The changeable period will likely continue through the last week of August, especially in the north and west, with a small chance of widely wetter and windier weather developing. The evolution of this is highly uncertain though."
Daily Mirror
2 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
Brits issued important flood warning as 600-mile rainstorm set to thrash UK
After enduring four extended heatwaves throughout the summer, intense rains have been predicted to hit some of the UK in late August, which, coming after a long drought, brings an increased risk of flash flooding This summer has been a scorcher, but long-range weather forecasts predict that the hot weather is on its way out, as a 600-mile wall of rain is approaching the UK. While the temperature finally lowering might be something of a relief to many, intense rainfall has also been predicted to be heading our way in less than two weeks. Our plants and lawns might be grateful to finally get some much-needed hydration, but heavy rainfall after a long period of drought can bring with it some major risks, including flash flooding. Flash flooding becomes more likely after a long, hot period because the ground becomes more compacted when it is dry, and so heavy rainfall is not easily absorbed. This intensifies runoff, which means that water moves rapidly over the ground, and pools of water start to accumulate on the surface, because "dry, cracked soils repel water rather than letting it soak in as wet soil would," experts at the University of Reading explain. In urban areas, the risk of flash flooding is even greater when intense localised rainfall occurs after a long period of hot and dry weather. This is because cities and towns are mostly made up of "impermeable surfaces such as concrete, asphalt, and paving," the pros at Clear Insurance Management have explained. "This drastically reduces the land's ability to soak up water, causing it to run off rapidly into streets and drainage systems, increasing the likelihood of flash floods." Because it has been so dry this year and parts of the UK have experienced no less than four heatwaves and the myriad of heat health warnings that come with them, "Grounds of our gardens, parks and farmlands" can become "potentially as dry as tarmac and concrete gets. Areas that aren't tarmac will behave like tarmac when rain hits them," explained meteorologist Dr Rob Thompson to the BBC in a previous year that saw extremely hot conditions. Long-range forecasts by WXCharts weather maps currently show that only six areas will likely miss out on the upcoming intense rainfall: Aberdeenshire, Somerset, Middlesex, Kent, Essex, Suffolk, Norfolk, and Cambridgeshire. On 27 August, the worst-affected area is set to be southern central Wales, which is predicted to be hit by up to 18cm of rain, and just days later, on 1 September, northern Wales could be hit by a whopping 31cm of rainfall on high ground. Much of the UK is forecast to see 1-2cm of rainfall in this period, but much depends on Tropical Storm Erin, which, though far away at the moment, could impact UK weather as it moves through the North Atlantic, the Met Office explains. "This brings an increased possibility of stronger winds and rain, some of which could be heavy and thundery, especially for southern and western areas, but this perhaps become more widespread with time." The Met Office adds, "One of the determining factors of the forecast through this period will be the behaviour of what is currently Tropical Storm Erin as it progresses into the Northern Atlantic; this being quite a typical source of uncertainty in the late summer."
