Nor'easter Continues Its Storm Surge And Rough Surf Slog Today

Flooding from the nor'easter in North Wildwood,
New Jersey Sunday. Photo from Chris 
Sowers via Facebook. 

 The nor'easter that has been hammering away at the East Coast was still at it this morning, battering shorelines from the Carolinas to Long Island.  

It's a long slog with such a slow-moving storm. It caused damage Sunday, and we'll do it again today. In fact, today will probably we worse, with even more extensive storm surges, flooding and serious beach erosion.

This nor'easter is truly a coastal storm. Almost all the problems it's causing is right along the shore. If you go a couple miles inland, the storm has been causing unpleasant weather to be sure, but not much damage. 

To be sure, the entire I-95 urban corridor from Virginia to New England is miserable, with soaking rains, gusty winds and chilly temperatures. Winds have gusted as high as 58 mph on Long Island.  

Up here in Vermont, the storm, such as it is, seems to be playing out as expected. See further down for Green Mountain State details.

The real problem today will continue to be the storm surges. From about North Carolina north, today's high tides will be the worst of the lot. 

In North Carolina, the storm surges might not be quite as high as Sunday's but they'll be close. The Outer Banks have been battered by huge waves for days, so even if today's tides aren't as strong as Sunday's, they have the potential to create added damage.   

We've been watching homes on the verge of collapse into the ocean and that might happen today. A green house that's been getting hit day after day lost many of its decks Sunday, and the pilings beneath the house look displaced and cracked. Other houses look just as rickety.  

In a video, the News & Observer likened the threatened homes to "terminal patients."

Streets in Jersey Shore communities like North Wildwood were under water Sunday during high tide and the water is forecast to be even deeper today.  Similar scenes hit shoreline towns in Long Island. 

In Delaware, a voluntary evacuation was underway at Bowers Beach due to the destruction from waves. Quite a bit of damage and flooding is anticipated at Delaware resorts like Rohoboth and Bethany beaches. 

The biggest threat for damage in the Northeast today is along Green South Bay Long Island and Barnegat Bay, New Jersey, where major flooding is predicted with today's high tides. 

Holiday events continue to be canceled due to the weather. New York City's 81st annual Columbus Day parade is among the cancelations. 

Southern New England is on the edge of the nor'easter's destructive, with coastal flood advisories up in Connecticut and Rhode Island, Wind warnings and advisories are in effect for Cape Cod and the Islands. 

VERMONT EFFECTS

Things are playing out pretty much as expected in the Green Mountain State today. Southern Vermont is getting a rainy, and in some places windy Monday. The rain is creeping north while weakening. 

Rainfall totals still look like they'll be somewhere near an inch down by Brattleboro. They'll taper off pretty quickly as you head north. Those of us near the Canadian border an expect only a tenth of an inch or less. 

The clouds and rain will keep temperatures down in the 50s today. 

It's going to be a cool week, as brisk north winds take hold especially between Tuesday night and Friday morning. Highs most days will be in the 50s, with maybe even some upper 40s in higher elevations north. 

We'll have to watch things on Thursday, especially north. Those areas won't get much rain. The humidity is expected to get quite low by Thursday. Gusty north winds might well create another big fire hazard. We're getting sick of that situation, but we're stuck with it until our drought eases some.

A little help might in about a week. Long range forecasts are hinting at some rain next Sunday or Monday.