Erin’s Offshore Spin Will Unleash Flash Flood Risk Across Northeast

By Joe Lombardi From Daily Voice

A surge of tropical moisture unleashed by Hurricane Erin is set to drench the Northeast with meteorologists warning that sudden, drenching downpours could trigger dangerous flash flooding from Virginia to New England on Wednesday, Aug. 20.

Tropical air funneled northward by Hurricane Erin is colliding with a stalled weather front, setting the stage for intense rainfall and the risk of flash flooding across a wide swath of the Appalachians and Northeast from late Wednesday afternoon into Wednesday night, AccuWeather meteorologists report.

While Erin itself is spinning offshore, the heaviest rain will fall along a stationary front draped across the region, not directly from the hurricane. 

“In a worst-case scenario, several inches of rain could fall in just a few hours along the boundary of tropical moisture, leading to major flooding in urban areas and along smaller streams,” said Dan DePodwin, AccuWeather’s Vice President of Forecasting Operations.

Rainfall rates may reach 1 to 2 inches per hour, with isolated totals as high as 8 inches possible. Should these conditions materialize, significant flash flooding could inundate highways and low-lying neighborhoods, stranding vehicles and severely disrupting travel.

The primary area of concern stretches from upstate New York and southern New England to New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia, AccuWeather says.

The highest risk for concentrated downpours is expected in central and eastern New York, with another corridor from southern New Jersey and the Philadelphia area to Long Island, southern Connecticut, and Rhode Island. 

A separate narrow band of heavy rain may also develop along the Allegheny Mountains, from western New York through western Pennsylvania into northern West Virginia.

As the tropical moisture shifts northward, the zone of torrential downpours is expected to lift into New England before gradually diminishing by Thursday, Aug. 21, the National Weather Service says.

Meanwhile, Hurricane Erin continues to churn offshore, turning the Atlantic into a danger zone for beachgoers from Florida to Massachusetts. 

Erin will unleash dangerous surf and rip currents along the entire East Coast.

National Hurricane Center

The National Hurricane Center has issued high rip current risks for most East Coast beaches through Thursday, as Erin’s vast wind field generates pounding surf and hazardous conditions along 2,000 miles of shoreline. 

• Earlier report: Hurricane Erin Turns North With Dangerous Surf, Rip Current Alerts Issued Throughout East Coast

Even as Erin’s winds have eased since its peak as a Category 5 storm, officials urge everyone along the coast to heed warnings and stay out of the water, as life-threatening conditions could persist through Saturday, Aug. 23.

Check back to Daily Voice for updates.

The latest info for Erin, including predicted timing and track, released Wednesday morning, Aug. 20 by the National Hurricane Center.

National Hurricane Center