Elsa bringing winds, deluge up East Coast
1 person dies in Fla.; storm warning now includes over 27M
ARLINGTON, Va. – Tropical Storm Elsa powered its way up the East Coast on Thursday, an unrelenting weather system that has claimed one life, injured at least 10 people and placed more than 27 million Americans under a tropical storm warning from the Carolinas to New England.
About 20,000 homes and businesses remained without power in the Southeast on Thursday afternoon, and flooding was a concern as isolated areas could see up to 8 inches of rain before the storm passes.
A flash flood watch was issued for tens of millions of people along the East Coast because of the threat of heavy rain. The National Hurricane Center issued the tropical storm warning as far north as Boston and Cape Cod, Massachusetts.
As of 2 p.m. EDT Thursday, Elsa was centered about 25 miles southwest of Raleigh, North Carolina, moving northeast at 20 mph, the hurricane center said. The storm has strengthened slightly, and sustained winds howled at 45 mph.
Elsa was expected to gain speed over the next couple of days, then edge near or over the Northeast on Friday and Friday night, said Jack Beven, a senior hurricane specialist at the hurricane center in Miami.
The system should move over the Atlantic off Canada by Friday night and Saturday, Beven said.
The storm, which killed three people last week as it swept across islands in the Caribbean, caused flooding in parts of Florida the past couple of days. Jacksonville Fire and Rescue reported that a tree fell on two cars Wednesday, killing one person. Rescuers pulled a person from a car swamped on a flooded street.
Possible tornado strikes
In Georgia, a suspected tornado touched down at Kings Bay Naval Submarine Base, injuring about 10 people, commanding officer Capt. Chester Parks said. Multiple recreational vehicles in the base RV park were damaged, along with some buildings, he said.
“I want to thank all of our first responders and Camden County first responders for their quick actions,” Parks said. “Their quick response most certainly helped.”
Sergio Rodriguez, who lives near the RV park, said he raced to the scene, fearing friends staying at the park might be hurt. “There were just RVs flipped over on their sides, pickup trucks flipped over, a couple of trailers had been shifted and a couple of trailers were in the water” of a pond on the site, Rodriguez said.
New York City flooding
The National Weather Service issued a flash flood watch for New York City, lasting until noon Friday.
Total rainfall from Thursday afternoon through Friday is expected to range from 2 to 3 inches, and higher amounts are possible in areas.
“Damaging winds are the primary threat from these storms,” NYC Emergency Management warned.
A tropical storm warning is in effect through Friday evening for coastal parts of Massachusetts as well as parts of Connecticut and Rhode Island. Heavy rains could bring localized flooding to parts of Boston.
“Main threats are damaging winds, isolated hail & locally heavy rainfall which may lead to street flooding,” the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency tweeted.