by Brian K Sullivan
Tropical Storm Debby is creeping inland after making a second landfall on coastal South Carolina overnight. The storm has been wringing heavy rain across the southern US this week and is now threatening floods as far north as Upstate New York.
Debby’s top winds dropped to 45 miles per hour (72 kilometers per hour) as it moved northwest about 90 miles from Charleston, South Carolina after coming ashore near Bulls Bay at 2 a.m. Thursday, the US National Hurricane Center said. The tropical storm will weaken as it moves overland but its downpours will continue.
“Heavy rainfall across portions of the Carolinas is expected to persist through today along with areas of considerable flooding,’’ said Robbie Berg, a warning coordination meteorologist at the hurricane center. “Heavy rainfall will also result in considerable flooding impacts across portions of the Mid-Atlantic states and northeast through Saturday morning.”
Flooding has closed roads across the Carolinas as more than 12 inches (30.5 centimeters) of rain has fallen across a wide area and many rivers are rising to major flood stage, the National Weather Service said. More than 112,000 customers are without power across the southeast with most of them in North Carolina, according to Poweroutage.us
Further north, flood watches extend from North Carolina to New York’s Canadian border, the weather service said. Rainfall warnings have also been posted in Quebec, including Montreal, by Environment and Climate Change Canada. New York City will continue to see showers, but the worst of the rain will be far to the west.
Debby will weaken to a tropical depression later Thursday and be absorbed by a cold front on Friday over the Mid-Atlantic before sweeping across northern New England Saturday and into Canada Sunday.
In other weather news:
Texas: Heat advisories are up across most of Texas and Florida and throughout the Gulf of Mexico states as temperatures and humidity wilt the region. The high temperature in Dallas is forecast to reach 104F and with humidity feel closer to 109F Thursday, the National Weather Service said. Houston, the fourth most populous US city, will reach 100F Thursday and 101F Friday with humidity making it feel closer to 108.
California: The state’s Park Fire, near Chico, has grown to 425,360 acres and is now 34% contained, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. It is the fourth largest blaze in state history.
Tropics: Tropical Storm Maria will move parallel to Japan’s east coast before possibly making landfall in a much weaker state next week in northern Honshu or Hokkaido. Tracks in the western Pacific can vary wildly.
To contact the author of this story:
Brian K Sullivan in Boston at [email protected]
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