Remnants of Ida unleash more rain
Tropical Storm Larry strengthens after forming off Africa
HURLEY, Va. – The remnants of Hurricane Ida blew into New England on Wednesday, dumping rain and causing floods that prompted hundreds of people to flee or be rescued from damaged homes in Maryland and Virginia. A teenager was killed and two people were unaccounted for in the storm’s wake, and some schools in the storm’s path closed early.
The National Weather Service also tentatively confirmed the touchdown of a tornado in Maryland’s Anne Arundel County, which sits along the Chesapeake Bay. Meteorologist Ray Martin said there have been reports of damage in the communities of Riva and Woodland Beach. A tornado watch remained in effect for the Washingtonbaltimore region for Wednesday afternoon.
In Pennsylvania, emergency officials rushed to evacuate about 3,000 people downstream from a dam near Johnstown, on Wednesday after hours of heavy rains triggered plans to ensure the safety of downstream residents. Cambria County emergency management director and 911 center head Art Martynuska said the water level at the Wilmore dam reached the height that required evacuation.
There was also a chance that people living below the nearby Hinckston Run Dam would be evacuated, he said, as drenching downpours inundated rivers, streams and creeks. The National Weather Service had predicted these floods, saying steep terrain and even city streets were particularly vulnerable to a band of severe weather that extended from the Appalachians into Massachusetts.
In other developments, Tropical Storm Larry was strengthening and moving quickly westward after forming off the coast of Africa earlier Wednesday. Forecasters predicted it would rapidly intensify in a manner similar to Ida, becoming a major hurricane with top wind speeds of 120 mph by Saturday.