Hurricane Chris churns in Atlantic
Storm could clip Newfoundland, Canada, late Thursday, cause floods
Hurricane Chris continued to race out into the Atlantic Ocean on Wednesday. Other than some rough seas along the East Coast, it poses no threat to the USA, the National Hurricane Center said.
The storm could clip Newfoundland, Canada, Thursday, dumping up to 6 inches of rain and causing flash flooding.
As of 5 p.m. EDT, Chris had winds of
90 mph and was moving to the northeast at 25 mph. It was about 570 miles east-northeast of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina.
Swells generated by Hurricane Chris are expected to affect portions of the coasts of North Carolina and the Mid-Atlantic states during the next few days, the hurricane center warned. “These swells could cause life-threatening surf and rip current conditions.”
Rip currents are possible for beaches from Maine to the Carolinas, the National Weather Service said. At least 15 people have drowned in the USA because of rip currents in 2018, the weather service reported.
The Canadian Hurricane Centre said southeastern Newfoundland is the most likely to deal with direct impacts from the storm. The forecast calls for Chris making landfall or passing south of the Avalon Peninsula as a strong post-tropical storm Thursday evening. The area could be hit by heavy rain, strong winds and waves with storm surge along the coast.
Chris is the second hurricane of the
2018 Atlantic hurricane season, after Beryl.