Though forecasters don’t expect it to make U.S. landfall, Hurricane Erin could still cause dangerous rip currents and tidal flooding in parts of Maryland, prompting officials to act.
Officials on Tuesday began to announce closures along the Assateague Island National Seashore and in Ocean City as areas on the East Coast brace for the year’s first Atlantic hurricane, Hurricane Erin. Officials in Ocean City said the beach is open, but the public cannot access the water.
A coastal flood warning will be in effect in Anne Arundel County from 11 p.m. Tuesday evening to 8 a.m. Wednesday morning, the Baltimore/Washington office of the National Weather Service announced. Weather officials anticipate tidal flooding of 1 to 2 feet Tuesday night, possibly impacting structures like the Maritime Museum in Annapolis and several businesses on Dock Street, if levels are higher.
NWS also issued a coastal flood advisory for Baltimore City and Baltimore and Calvert counties. About a half of a foot of tidal flooding is possible along Thames Street and in the Inner Harbor, homes in Bowleys Quarters and backyards near 9th Street in North Beach, weather officials said. The advisory is in place from 11 p.m. Tuesday evening to 2 p.m. Wednesday in Calvert County and 3 a.m. to 9 a.m. Wednesday in Baltimore City and county.
A high surf advisory is in place from 1 p.m. Wednesday through 7 a.m. Friday for all Maryland beaches with NWS warning of dangerous swimming and surfing conditions from rip currents and large breaking waves.
Although forecasters are confident that the storm won’t make direct landfall in the United States, officials have warned it could create dangerous surf and rip currents and cause some roads to flood.
The National Park Service warned that more closures due to Hurricane Erin could be announced for Assateague Island in the coming days, “as wind speeds and tidal surge caused by the passage of Erin are difficult to predict and coincide with a very high tide cycle.”
“This is a fluid situation, and it is impossible to predict when things will reopen,” the park service said in a statement. The following areas are closed as of Tuesday:
- Over-sand Vehicle Areas, both in Maryland and Virginia
- All oceanside beaches are closed to water activities
- Parking Lots at the Chincoteague Beach are under a partial closure
By Monday night, the storm’s top sustained winds had dropped to 130 mph, but it’s still a major, dangerous hurricane.
Tropical storm warnings were in effect for the southeast Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos Islands, according to the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami.
Authorities on a few islands along North Carolina’s Outer Banks issued evacuation orders and warned that some roads could be swamped by waves of 15 feet
Here is what to know about Hurricane Erin.
Storm surge, high winds expected along North Carolina’s coast
Forecasters say Erin will turn northeast — and away — from the eastern U.S. Still, the storm is expected to bring tropical storm force winds, dangerous waves and rip currents to North Carolina’s coast. That is according to Dave Roberts of the National Hurricane Center. Coastal flooding in North Carolina is expected to begin Tuesday.
Evacuations were being ordered on Hatteras Island and Ocracoke Island along North Carolina’s Outer Banks, even though the storm is unlikely to make direct landfall. Authorities warned that some roads could be swamped by waves of 15 feet .
The orders come at the height of tourist season on the thin stretch of low-lying barrier islands that juts far into the Atlantic Ocean.
There are concerns that several days of heavy surf, high winds and waves could wash out parts of the main highway running along the barrier islands, the National Weather Service said. Some routes could be impassable for several days.
Portions of Highway 12 on Ocracoke and Hatteras Islands are most at risk for storm surge, National Hurricane Center Director Michael Brennan said.
Erin’s outer edges hit parts of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands with heavy rains and tropical-storm winds on Sunday, knocking out power for thousands.
Potentially devastating impacts
Storm surge is the level at which sea water rises above its normal level.
Much like the way a storm’s sustained winds do not include the potential for even stronger gusts, storm surge doesn’t include the wave height above the mean water level.
Surge is also the amount above what the normal tide is at a time, so a 15-foot storm surge at high tide can be far more devastating than the same surge at low tide.
Government officials in the Turks and Caicos Islands, which has a population of just over 46,000, said all services were suspended on three of its islands and ordered residents there to stay home.
The easternmost islands of the British territory have been most impacted by heavy rainfall and powerful winds.
Bermuda won’t feel the full intensity of the storm until Thursday evening, acting Minister of National Security Jache Adams said, and services on the island were still “open for business” on Monday afternoon.
But Adams issued a stark warning that storm surge, which could reach up to 24 feet by Thursday, would make waters too dangerous to swim, surf or boat in.
A year ago, Hurricane Ernesto stayed hundreds of miles offshore from the U.S. eastern seaboard yet still produced high surf and swells that caused coastal damage.
Fluctuating strength
Erin’s strength has fluctuated significantly over the past week.
The most common way to measure a hurricane’s strength is the Saffir-Simpson Scale that assigns a category from 1 to 5 based on a storm’s sustained wind speed at its center, with 5 being the strongest.
Erin reached a dangerous Category 5 status Saturday with 160 mph winds before weakening. It is expected to remain a large, major hurricane into midweek.
“You’re dealing with a major hurricane. The intensity is fluctuating. It’s a dangerous hurricane in any event,” the hurricane center’s Richard Pasch said.
Lethal summer of floods
Although Erin is the first Atlantic hurricane of the year, there have been four tropical storms this hurricane season already. Tropical Storm Chantal made the first U.S. landfall of the season in early July, and its remnants caused flooding in North Carolina that killed an 83-year-old woman when her car was swept off a rural road.
And at least 132 people were killed in floodwaters that overwhelmed the Texas Hill Country on the Fourth of July.
Just over a week later, flash floods inundated New York City and parts of New Jersey, claiming two lives.
Baltimore Banner editor Carrie Mihalcik contributed to this report.
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