Latest news with #Debby
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Climate
- Yahoo
This SC city at high risk for hurricanes. It ranks as top storm place in the state
With little more than a month into the hurricane season, the Myrtle Beach area has already had its first brush with a tropical storm. Tropical Storm Chantal hit the Grand Strand during the July 4th weekend, bringing with it heavy rain and wind. Such storm encounters have placed Myrtle Beach among the top 10 cities and islands in the world that are most affected by tropical storms and hurricanes. Myrtle Beach ranks No. 8 as a place to receive brushes or hits in the Atlantic basin, according to a website that provides hurricane history and data across the country. The current rankings are based on 2024 Atlantic hurricane season data, which provides the amount of years between a storm or hurricane affecting the city or island. The ranking method is based on tracking charts dating back to 1871 from every hurricane season in the Atlantic basin, according to the website. Hurricane season typically runs from June through Nov. 30 each year, and NOAA is predicting an above-normal storm season for this year. Myrtle Beach is affected by a storm every 1.82 years, according to data. Last year, the coastal city was brushed by tropical storms Debby and Helene. It is the most impacted area in South Carolina due to many brushes of systems hitting North Carolina, the site said. Cape Hatteras and Morehead City in North Carolina were ranked No. 1 and 2 on the list of cities. Wilmington, North Carolina, which is about an hour from Myrtle Beach, was ranked No. 4. Horry County also has been ranked among the top counties in the United States that will be most affected by this year's hurricane season. While the county received an overall rating of 33 among U.S. counties that are most likely to be in harm's way, Horry County was ranked No. 11 for its hurricane risk, according to LawnStarter. Solve the daily Crossword

Montreal Gazette
3 days ago
- Climate
- Montreal Gazette
Hanes: Brace yourselves for Thursday — destructive weather is now the norm
By It wasn't a typhoon. It was just a regular old thunderstorm. But when it barrelled through Montreal on Sunday after days of a heat wave, a record amount of rainfall poured from the skies, flooding basements and inundating underpasses. Homeowners from Ahuntsic-Cartierville to St-Léonard found their belongings floating. An octogenarian had to be rescued from his nearly submerged vehicle by Montreal police. And it could happen all over again on Thursday, weather forecasters have warned. We've now reached the point where climate change has made what was once extraordinary ordinary. Severe weather isn't a once-a-decade or even once-a-year occurrence anymore. During our hot, humid summers, it has practically become a weekly phenomenon. Last August, hurricane Debby, which had been downgraded to a post-tropical storm by the time it arrived, doused Montreal with up to 150 millimetres of rain in some parts of the region — a wet month's worth in a single day. It caused a record $2.5 billion in damages, according to the Insurance Bureau of Canada, surpassing the 1998 ice storm as Quebec's costliest event. Montreal had a prelude to Debby's destruction last July, when the remnants of tropical storm Beryl drenched us with up to 100 millimetres of rain in some places. Sunday's torrential rain brought 80 millimetres to Trudeau airport in less than an hour. Yet the fallout from this nameless thunderstorm was much the same. On a St-Léonard street where water poured down sloping driveways, filling subterranean garages and basements, it's the second or even third year in a row residents have experienced this kind of flooding. Some unlucky folks had just finished renovations to recover from the previous deluge, only to now have to start all over again. The mental and financial toll of dealing with this kind of damage can't be overestimated. Many will be out tens of thousands of dollars for work not covered by insurance. Premiums will rise. Their home values may sink due to the repeated flooding, which they would have to report on their seller's declaration. Plus there's the trauma of having your possessions ruined, your home — your sanctuary — made inhospitable. More and more people are having to go through this rigmarole once. However, some are having to endure it multiple times. The city is advising homeowners to protect their property. Some are installing sump pumps, ceramic tile or epoxy flooring that can be more easily cleaned up after water infiltration. But it costs money. Tenants may have no choice in the matter if their landlords don't act. And those living in basement apartments can end up losing everything. There's been talk of outlawing basement apartments or 'garden suites,' as partially below-grade condos are often called, due to the risk of water damage. But the housing crisis makes it impossible to scrap these units altogether. The borough of St-Laurent has restricted the use of some basements for certain purposes in response to flooding. And there are new regulations for downward sloping driveways to avoid them funnelling rainwater into homes. There's only so much residents can do to avoid infiltration of their dwellings. During last summer's storms, sewers backing up into people's homes was a primary cause of many flooded basements. Despite hundreds of millions being invested in water infrastructure, deferred maintenance in decades past has set the city behind. Now it's hard to keep up with the repair backlog. And each major weather event weakens aging water mains, which can lead to breakages — or even geysers. Now sponge parks and sponge streets that use naturalistic design to absorb runoff are all the rage. But it takes time — and money — to transform all the asphalt and concrete of the cityscape to mitigate the impact of climate change. And it's not just water infrastructure that is stressed by heavy rainfall. Highways, parking lots and underpasses are also under strain. Highway 40 came to a standstill in the West Island on Sunday because of pooling water. Last summer, storms resulted in the temporary closure of the Île-aux-Tourtes Bridge and Highway 13. The bottom line is we should expect more of the same — and more often. Destructive thunderstorms and diluvial rains are now the norm rather the exception. Brace yourselves: The same conditions that preceded Sunday's deluge — a heat wave followed by a cold front — are brewing again for Thursday. The skies are expected to open. Let's just hope it's not a disaster déjà vu.


Time Out
6 days ago
- Climate
- Time Out
Montreal has broken an all-time daily rainfall record with over 150 mm of rain
Quebec has been hit by heavy downpours caused by severe thunderstorms, with more than 150 millimetres of rain per hour falling in the hardest-hit areas. In less than an hour, Montréal-Trudeau Airport recorded 57.5 mm of rain. At the peak of the storm, Hydro-Québec reported that nearly 100,000 customers were without electricity across the province. Some Montreal neighbourhoods recorded up to 80 mm of rain in a short period leading to flash flooding in several areas. It was a record-breaking amount of precipitation for Montreal during the month of July. The previous record for July 10, 2024, was when the remnants of Beryl swept through the province, recording 79.2 mm in one day. What was the rainiest day in Montreal history? August 9, 2024, became the rainiest day in Montreal's history, with 145 mm (5.7 inches) of rainfall as Hurricane Debby swept through the city. Is there a tornado warning in Montreal today? There are currently no alerts in effect for the Montreal area, however there is a heat warning in effect for Tuesday and Wednesday. High temperatures between 31 and 33 degrees celsius, combined with elevated humidity, will push humidex values close to 40. Nights will also remain warm, with lows ranging from 20 to 23 degrees celsius.


Axios
07-07-2025
- Climate
- Axios
Tropical Storm Chantal highlights growing threat of quickly forming tropical weather
Tropical Storm Chantal might have had the perfect recipe for catching people unawares: It formed rapidly (only reaching tropical storm status on Saturday) over a holiday weekend and moved slowly while dropping torrential rain. Why it matters: That proved to be an especially damaging combination — breaking dams in Moore County, flooding roads, homes and businesses in Chapel Hill, killing at least one person in Chatham County and sending the Haw River to record crests. It's also one that North Carolina residents will need to watch out for more frequently. What they're saying: "The pattern and the way [Chantal] approached us ought to be setting off the alarm bells," Corey Davis, an assistant state climatologist for the State Climate Office, told Axios. With this storm and many of the most damaging ones in recent North Carolina history, he added, it's been all about excessive rain and rather than wind speeds. "And we know that with climate change and warming [oceans] storms are able to hold more moisture, and they're going to drop that moisture as heavier rainfall as it gets inland," he said. Last fall, Hurricane Helene moved quickly after making landfall but brought record rainfall. Driving the news: Davis said North Carolina is increasingly witnessing tropical storms that have the characteristics of severe thunderstorms, with small cells within the storms dropping excessive rain in some places but not others. On Sunday, just a few miles could make a few difference, with parts of Orange County seeing more than seven inches of rain in a 12-hour period, while parts of Durham, only a short drive away, got two to three inches. In that way, the storm was similar to last year's Potential Tropical Cyclone 8, which dropped 20 inches on Carolina Beach, and Tropical Storm Debby, which dumped large amounts of rain across parts of southeastern North Carolina. The latest: Thousands of customers were still without power as of Monday afternoon, according to Duke Energy. Crews on Monday were still searching for two kayakers who went missing on Jordan Lake Sunday. Over 100 roads were closed across North Carolina due to Chantal, WRAL reported. Between the lines: It's shaping up to be an especially busy hurricane season in the Atlantic, with Chantal becoming the third named storm. NOAA is forecasting an above-normal season, with 13-19 named storms predicted, Axios previously reported. "This is really pretty early in the season to get our third named storm," Davis said. "We're still over two months away from the peak of the season, so I think what this tells us is there's more where this came from."


CBS News
27-06-2025
- Politics
- CBS News
DeSantis signs bill that makes changes to rebuilding storm-damaged homes, debris removal
After three hurricanes hit the state last year, Gov. Ron DeSantis on Thursday signed a bill that makes changes related to debris removal and rebuilding storm-damaged homes. The new measure, which took effect immediately, will require local governments each year to set in advance at least one debris-management site; to develop plans for businesses and homeowners about post-storm permitting processes; to establish what are known as mutual-aid agreements to bring in help from elsewhere; and to set plans for staffing after storms. Local governments also will be prohibited from increasing building-permit and inspection fees for 180 days after emergencies are declared for hurricanes or tropical storms. Pushback against changes The bill drew some criticism for prohibiting "restrictive or burdensome" changes to local growth guidelines through Oct. 1, 2027, and retroactive to Aug. 1, 2024, in counties under federal disaster declarations after last year's hurricanes Debby, Helene and Milton. "A similar 2023 law that applied to 10 counties already has been cited to prevent local governments in the region from adopting stronger environmental protections," 1000 Friends of Florida Policy and Planning Director Kim Dinkins wrote to the group's supporters on June 19. "SB 180 would also nullify local efforts to adopt land-use changes to promote greater community resilience, to protect lives, property and public dollars from future storms." The bill also would seek to prevent a repeat of an incident where a crane collapsed into a St. Petersburg office building when Hurricane Milton slammed into the area. The bill would require that 24 hours before anticipated hurricane impacts, all hoisting equipment would have to be secured to comply with manufacturer recommendations, which could include removing advertising, laying down fixed booms and setting towers in a "weathervane position."