Forecast of DANGEROUS Inland Flooding

By -
Camille-related flooding in Richmond, 1969

Serious Inland Flooding Risks
After 1969's Cat 5 Hurricane Camille, nearly as many were killed in flooding in the Middle Atlantic states as were by Camille's storm surge and winds. 

We may be looking at a repeat -- except, with modern meteorology, we have a chance to stop the deaths. The swath of red-orange-amber-yellow colors will see flooding. Please monitor your local meteorologists for updated information over the next few days. 

Three important points:
  • Note the 7+ inches forecasted over Pennsylvania and Maryland. Especially, given the mountains and the Keystone State's history of hurricane-related flood history, pay attention to the weather closely. 
  • From the Ohio River, south, most of the area already has very wet soil (map below) which will boost the flood potential. Darker blue = extremely wet.
  • There is serious flooding potential in Arizona due to the remains of Pacific Hurricane Nora. There is a lesser chance in western New Mexico and near the Four Corners.
The triple digit fatalities we had from flooding associated with Hurricanes Agnes and Camille do not need to recur. We can't stop the rain but we can certainly keep people out of harm's way and save lives.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Hilary's Forecast Path Shifts West; Updated 9:20am PDT

By -
Image
The forecast path of the center of Hilary has shifted a bit to the west. This increases the threat to the Southland, especially in terms of flooding.  Rainfall Note the heavy rains are forecast for Los Angeles County. Serious flash flooding may result. Because the forecast path has shifted to the west, that increases the threat of serious flooding in Los Angeles County north into Yosemite and the southern Sierra. It lessens the threat in Utah and western Arizona. While the threat of widespread flooding in Utah and Arizona lessens, note that some thunderstorms with localized heavy rain show up on the map.  In Nevada, the more western path increases the risk of serious flooding around Mt Charleston and into the central part of the state.  Here is the updated  (9am PDT) flash flood risk map. Wind There are already about 40,000 people without power in California, mostly in the center of the state.  The maps above are the peak gusts forecasted with the storm. The highest winds, in general,
Read more

Dangerous Travel Conditions - People Reportedly Stranded

By -
Image
-- Note, more current info available. Scroll up. --- Updated Information as of 8am PDT You are risking your life if you attempt to travel through the purple area.  While the rain has not begun in coastal California, I would urge you to use this time to make any preparations. Power outages have occurred already in southeast California. Here is the latest radar as of 7:55am PDT. As of 6:40am PDT , the radar indicates moderate to heavy rain falling over desert areas of Southern California and far western Arizona (click to enlarge).  Rainfall amounts for the 24 hours ending at 7am PDT show more than two inches have already fallen. There are reports from reliable sources that roads are already washed out and that people are stranded in isolated parts of the desert.  Below is a high-resolution computer model's rainfall forecast from 5am PDT to 11pm PDT Sunday. More than a foot of additional rain is forecast to fall. This will lead to catastrophic flooding.  Here is a map of current watc
Read more

[1:10am Update] Tornado Forecast for Rest of the Night

By -
Image
After 16 straight hours, I must call it a night. All of the information below is current as of 1:10am. Thank you for reading and goodnight.  As of 12:35am, much of south central Oklahoma has no electricity due to the terrible tornado outbreak. 42K "customers" = about 70,000 people.  Tornado Watches Posted Below. I believe these will be the last to be issued this morning, at least before 5am.  Both of the above tornado watches are in effect until 7am. Tornado Watch until 7am. Numerous destructive tornadoes have occurred in southern and eastern Oklahoma since sunset. Marietta has been hit (closing I-35), Sulphur, Ardmore, Dickson and others with significant damage.  As the low pressure system and jet stream approach this area, the violent storms in Oklahoma may move toward this area. Make sure you have at least two ways to get the warnings! Tornado Watch until 4am Sunday. It includes St. Louis, Quincy, Jefferson City and Columbia.  Tornado watch until 3am Sunday. Latest tornad
Read more