Zeta’s remnants to saturate East
Wind gusts, drenching rain in store Thursday
After Zeta lashed the Gulf Coast and Southeast overnight, much of the East could see strong, damaging winds that topple trees and knock out power well inland Thursday and into Friday. Some areas could see as much as 6 inches of rain from what’s left of the 27th named Atlantic storm this season. Gusts may be “especially severe” in the southern Appalachians.
After lashing the Gulf Coast and Southeast overnight, much of the eastern U.S. braced for a stormy Thursday as the remnants of Hurricane Zeta were forecast to bring heavy rain and strong winds all the way to the Northeast throughout the day.
Strong, damaging wind gusts, which could cause tree damage and power outages, will spread well inland across portions of the eastern U.S. on Thursday because of Zeta’s fast forward speed, according to the National Hurricane Center. “Wind gusts could be especially severe across the southern Appalachian Mountains on Thursday,” the Hurricane Center said.
Drenching rain, as much as 6 inches in some areas, also was expected to lead to flooding across portions of the the Southeast, Mid-Atlantic and Northeast on Thursday.
“The rain will continue to advance northeastward at a swift pace and extend to the southern tier of New York state and southern New England during the afternoon hours on Thursday,” AccuWeather senior meteorologist Brett Anderson said.
The combination of fallen leaves and drenching rain will lead to clogged storm drains that can cause street and secondary road flooding, AccuWeather said.
What’s left of Zeta will exit the East Coast early on Friday, the National Weather Service said, but not before bringing some snow to the Northeast: “Some wintry precipitation can be expected over interior New England as the northern edge of the storm system brushes across the region,” the Weather Service said.
As Zeta approached New Orleans, workers closed one of the last floodgates surrounding the city as residents braced for the 27th named storm of a historically busy Atlantic hurricane season.
The iconic streetcars shut down and City Hall closed until after the storm, Mayor LaToya Cantrell said.
Zeta formed more than a month earlier than the previous 27th named Atlantic storm did in 2005. It also is this season’s 11th hurricane. An average season has six hurricanes.
Of those 11 hurricanes, a record-tying six hit the continental U.S., including Hanna, Isaias, Laura, Sally, Delta, and now Zeta, according to Colorado State University hurricane researcher Phil Klotzbach.