Thursday night: Rain sweeps in. Winds increase. Low 40s. Friday: Windswept rain. Damaging gusts by afternoon. Major coastal flooding by noon. Rain to snow in spots by afternoon. 40s to 30s. Friday night: Gusty winds, snow/rain end. Mid 30s. Saturday: Windy. Sprinkles and flakes. Upper 30s.
An historic coastal flood event is unfolding. Records - set just a little over two months ago - will fall once again as water is heaved across the ocean and shoved into our bays, inlets, sounds and harbors.
High tide at 11 a.m. and near midnight Friday night will inundate and damage homes, roads and easily overwhelm sea walls. Voluntary evacuations are already up in some communities. If told to evacuate, please heed the advice of local authorities. This storm is not to be taken lightly. It is dangerous and things could quickly get out of hand.
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While our concerns revolve around water at the coast, there will be other issues that arise as the storm rages tomorrow afternoon. Winds will steadily ramp up as the storm intensifies. Gusts will go from 40-50 mph in the morning to as high as 60-70 along the coast in the afternoon and evening. Rain will be sideways and occasionally torrential.
Those are the straightforward facts. The harder elements of the storm are the changeover to snow and the subsequent amounts that may fall. The switch may occur as early as late morning or as late as the mid/late afternoon. I have my money on the latter. It could take some time, or it could happen suddenly. These are just some of the surprises a storm of this nature can spring on us.
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Rainfall will be significant, too. Estimates put it at 2-4 inches. Rivers and streams will be on the rise tomorrow afternoon as we hook into an intense "fire hose" plume of water.
Power outages will be scattered in many communities away from the coast, and common along the coast. Hours of "wind fatigue" will down power lines alone. Trees may be uprooted thanks to waterlogged soil and persistent gusts.
Alll in all, prepare for the unexpected. This is going to be quite an event.
