The “extremely dangerous” storm made landfall with maximum sustained winds near 150 miles per hour, according to the center.

Floodwaters raced down streets and enveloped lawns along Florida’s southwest coast as heavy rains and high winds from historic Hurricane Ian roared.

“So this is going to be a nasty, nasty day, two days,” Gov. Ron DeSantis warned in a briefing Wednesday.

More than 1 million homes and businesses across Florida are without power, according to the tracking website poweroutage.us. Power outages should be expected statewide, Florida Power & Light warned.

As of 4 p.m., the storm’s center was located 20 miles northwest of Fort Myers. Ian will continue to slam much of the state with life-threatening storm surge, catastrophic winds and flooding, the National Hurricane Center said.

“We are now forecasting a catastrophic storm surge of 12 to 16 feet from Englewood to Bonita Beach,” the hurricane center advisory warned.

At 150 mph, Ian’s stunning wind speeds were within 7 mph of Category 5, the highest status on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale of Hurricane Intensity.

Continue reading HERE

Source: https://www.msn.com/en-us/weather/topstories/hurricane-ian-makes-landfall-on-floridas-southwest-coast-as-major-category-4-storm-live-updates/ar-AA12lAGH

____________________________________________________________________________________________________

[Disclaimer]

The post Hurricane Ian makes landfall on Florida’s southwest coast as major Category 4 storm: Live updates first appeared on Garner Ted Armstrong Evangelistic Association.

The post Aerial footage shows massive flooding in Hurricane Laura aftermath first appeared on Garner Ted Armstrong Evangelistic Association.

The post Hurricane Laura To Bring ‘Unsurvivable’ Storm Surge To Gulf Coast As Category 4 first appeared on Garner Ted Armstrong Evangelistic Association.

As of 10 p.m. EST, the National Hurricane Center says Laura has maximum sustained winds of 150 mph with higher gusts. That’s 7 mph shy of becoming a Category 5 hurricane.

The eye remains about 45 miles off the Louisiana coast and is expected to make landfall around 1 a.m EST on Thursday.

However, the extremely strong wind may not be the most pressing issue for people caught in the storm’s path. The National Hurricane Center said Laura will bring “unsurvivable storm surge with large and destructive waves” to areas near the Texas-Louisiana border and as far as 40 miles inland. The NHC predicts flood waters will not fully recede until several days after the storm.

The post ‘Extremely dangerous’: Hurricane Laura nears Category 5 strength as it approaches Gulf Coast first appeared on Garner Ted Armstrong Evangelistic Association.

There are possible tornadoes approaching southeastern Louisiana and extreme southwestern Mississippi, the hurricane center said in its 8 p.m. CDT update. The storm’s maximum sustained winds reached 150 mph, a “chilling” development, according to the hurricane center. That’s 7 mph away from being a Category 5 storm, according to the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale.

“I think all evidence right now indicates that we’re probably going to be looking at a Category 5 storm,” said National Weather Service meteorologist Donald Jones.

On Twitter, Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards said he ordered the state to close the Interstate 10 eastbound at the Texas-Louisiana border and westbound west of the Atchafalaya Basin.

Hurricane Laura could bring 20-foot storm surge: Where is it, where will it be the worst?

Officials urged roughly 7,000 residents to evacuate from a coastal Louisiana parish that could be covered by ocean water when Laura makes landfall. But at least 150 people refused to leave, officials said.

“It’s a very sad situation,” Ashley Buller, assistant director of the parish Office of Emergency Preparedness, said. “We did everything we could to encourage them to leave.”

Edwards said: “They’re thinking Cameron Parish is going to look like an extension of the Gulf of Mexico for a couple of days.”

Laura, which grew to a Category 4 storm Wednesday afternoon, is forecast to bring a “catastrophic” storm surge, “extreme winds and flash flooding to eastern Texas and Louisiana, according to the hurricane center. It was 75 miles south of Lake Charles, Louisiana, and 75 miles southeast of Port Arthur, Texas, at 10 p.m. CDT.

Water levels are forecast to rise quickly Wednesday evening and overnight due to storm surge and the tide, the hurricane center said.

The National Weather Service has urged people who have been ordered to evacuate to take shelter in sturdy structures in a room away from windows.

“Dangerous winds will last for hours in many locations tonight and/or tomorrow,” NWS tweeted.

Laura is the strongest August hurricane in the Gulf of Mexico since infamous Hurricane Katrina in 2005, Colorado State University meteorologist Phil Klotzbach said.

More than half a million people were ordered to evacuate as the storm approached, including the Texas cities of Beaumont, Galveston and Port Arthur.

“Hurricane Laura is a very dangerous and rapidly intensifying hurricane,” President Donald Trump tweeted on Wednesday afternoon. “My Administration remains fully engaged with state & local emergency managers to continue preparing and assisting the great people (of) Texas, Louisiana, and Arkansas.”

Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards said Wednesday, “This is a tough storm – big, powerful, and every forecast seems to increase the intensity.”

Edwards has activated the entire Louisiana National Guard for Laura. Several refineries along the Gulf Coast have also shut down before the hurricane makes landfall.

‘Rapid intensification’ for Hurricane Laura:Here’s why that could be so dangerous

The storm intensified a “remarkable” amount in 24 hours, the hurricane center said. And Laura is growing: “Hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 70 miles from the center and tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 175 miles,” forecasters said.

“It looks like it’s in full beast mode,” said University of Miami hurricane researcher Brian McNoldy. “Which is not what you want to see if you’re in its way.”

It’s the first major hurricane of the 2020 season.

“We are expecting widespread power outages, trees down. Homes and businesses will be damaged,” said Donald Jones, a National Weather Service meteorologist in Lake Charles. “I’m telling you, this is going to be a very serious situation.”

More:Fifteen years and $15 billion since Katrina, New Orleans is more prepared for a major hurricane – for now

The hurricane center said parts of the Louisiana coast from Johnson Bayou to the Rockefeller Wildlife Refuge could see waters rise as much as 20 feet from “the combination of a dangerous storm surge and the tide.”

Storm surge could reach as far as 30 miles inland from the coastline, the hurricane center said. “Actions to protect life and property should be rushed to completion as water levels will begin to rise later today.”

Edwards said he expects Interstate 10 in Lake Charles and beyond to go under water, hampering search-and-rescue efforts. “It will be inundated,” he said Wednesday.

First Rita, then Ike:Now the ‘resilient’ residents of this Texas town brace for Hurricane Laura.

Founded in the late 1800s, Sabine Pass has been smashed repeatedly in recent years, first by Rita in 2005, then Ike in 2008.

Flying? Change your Gulf Coast flight without a fee

The hurricane threatens a center of the U.S. energy industry. The government said 84% of Gulf oil production and 61% of natural gas production were shut down. Nearly 300 platforms have been evacuated.

After Laura makes landfall, the storm is expected to weaken rapidly as it makes its way north, then turns northeast.

The most recent major hurricane to make landfall in Texas was Harvey in 2017, which had 130-mph maximum winds, Klotzbach said. In Louisiana, it was Rita in 2005, with 115-mph maximum winds.

The Atlantic hurricane season has been a record-breaker. Laura is the earliest L-named storm in the Atlantic Basin, breaking a record held by Luis, which formed Aug. 29, 1995. This season has had 13 named storms, which is well above-normal activity.

Rick Jervis reported from Sabine Pass, Texas. Contributing: Greg Hilburn, The Monroe (La.) News-Star; The Associated Press;

Source: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2020/08/26/hurricane-laura-path-update-storm-category-4-texas-louisiana/3441543001/

The post ‘It’s in full beast mode’: Category 4 Hurricane Laura surges toward landfall near Texas-Louisiana border first appeared on Garner Ted Armstrong Evangelistic Association.

Cyclone Kenneth had winds equivalent to a Category 4 hurricane.

The post Mozambique Just Got Hit by Another Massive Cyclone first appeared on Garner Ted Armstrong Evangelistic Association.

The post Michael: Most violent US hurricane since 1969 first appeared on Garner Ted Armstrong Evangelistic Association.

The post ‘This Thing’s Going to Explode’: Hurricane Florence Packing Devastation and Catastrophic Flooding first appeared on Garner Ted Armstrong Evangelistic Association.

The post Florence to bring catastrophic rainfall to East Coast first appeared on Garner Ted Armstrong Evangelistic Association.

Forecasts generally project the storm to make landfall between northern South Carolina and North Carolina’s Outer Banks as a strong Category 3  on Thursday, although shifts in the track are possible and storm impacts will expand great distances beyond where landfall occurs.

The National Hurricane Center is warning of an “extremely dangerous” triple threat in the Carolinas and Virginia:

1. A “life-threatening storm surge” at the coast — a rise in ocean water over normally dry land.
2. “Life-threatening freshwater flooding from a prolonged and exceptionally heavy rainfall event” from the coast to interior sections.
3. “Damaging hurricane-force winds” at the coast and some distance inland.

Like Hurricane Harvey, which stalled over Texas in 2017, Florence could linger over the Southeast for several days after landfall, unloading 15 to 20 inches of rain and isolated amounts to 30 inches. The Hurricane Center said this “could produce catastrophic flash flooding.”

The flooding might be similar to or worse than what the Carolinas experienced during Hurricane Matthew in 2016.

More than 1.5 million people have already been ordered to evacuate coastal areas ahead of the storm, due to both destructive winds and storm surge which could place normally dry land under at least 10 feet of water.

“All interests from South Carolina into the Mid-Atlantic region should ensure they have their hurricane plan in place and follow any advice given by local officials,” the Hurricane Center said.

[What to put in your emergency supply kit]

The latest

As of 11 a.m., Florence’s top winds decreased to 130 mph, but the storm is expected to regain strength later in the day. It was tracking west-northwest at 16 mph, and located about 900 miles east-southeast of Cape Fear, N.C.

The Hurricane Center is calling the storm “extremely dangerous,” and predicts its maximum winds could still reach 150 mph at peak intensity, which is just 7 mph from Category 5. Some modest weakening may occur just before landfall, but Florence is predicted to come ashore as a strong Category 3 with 120 mph sustained winds.

The center issued hurricane and storm surge watches for the East Coast from Edisto Beach, S.C., northward to the North Carolina-Virginia border, including the Pamlico and Albemarle sounds.

Track forecast for Hurricane Florence. Hurricane watch zone is shaded in pink. (National Hurricane Center)

As Florence explosively strengthened Monday, its zone of hurricane-force winds doubled in size and extend 40 miles from the center while tropical-storm-force winds extend 150 miles outward.

Storm timing

In coastal areas of the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic, heavy surf and elevated water levels are expected to arrive by Wednesday morning, and rainfall could begin by late Wednesday night and Thursday morning.

Tropical-storm-force winds could reach the coastline as early as late Wednesday night or Thursday morning, at which point all outdoor preparations should be completed.

Extremely dangerous hurricane-force winds could batter coastal locations Thursday into Friday. Hurricane-to-tropical-storm-force winds could extend well inland, depending on the storm’s track.

Storm hazards

Storm surge

Like a bulldozer, the storm’s winds and forward motion will push a tremendous amount of water onshore when it makes landfall. The storm surge, or rise in water above normally dry land at the coast, could reach up to more than a story high, or 12 feet, if the maximum surge coincides at high tide.

Jeff Masters, the meteorologist who pens Weather Underground’s Category 6 blog, reported a maximum surge of 15 to 20 feet is possible which would rival heights from hurricanes Hugo (1989) and Hazel (1954).

The biggest surge should occur just to the north of where the eye of the storm comes ashore, which the Hurricane Center projects in southeast North Carolina.

The surge will result in inundation of roads, homes, and businesses.

Storm surge watches have been posted from Edisto Beach in South Carolina to the North-Carolina Virginia border and over the Albemarle and Pamlico Sounds.

The Hurricane Center projects the following surge heights above normally dry land, if the maximum surge coincides with high tide:

• Edisto Beach to Murrells Inlet: 2 to 4 feet
• Murrells Inlet to Cape Fear: 4 to 6 feet
• Cape Fear to Cape Lookout including The Neuse and Pamlico River: 6 to 12 feet
• Cape Lookout to Ocracoke Inlet: 5 to 8 feet
• Ocracoke Inlet to North Carolina/Virginia Border: 3 to 5 feet

Rain

Models have come into agreement that a northward turn before reaching the United States is unlikely and that a building high-pressure zone north of the storm will cause it to slow or stall once it reaches the coast or shortly thereafter Where exactly the zone of heaviest rain will be is a big uncertainty. It could reasonably occur anywhere between the mountains and the coast.

[Hurricane Florence could be a lot like Harvey. Here’s why.]

If the storm stalls, some areas could see feet of rain, especially if downpours focus over the higher terrain in western North Carolina and southwestern and central Virginia.

However, some of the latest forecast models suggest the heaviest rainfall could focus on the eastern Carolinas.

If the storm drifts into Virginia, this region will be particularly susceptible to flooding because of far-above-normal rainfall in the region since May. In addition, because the ground is likely to be saturated, trees will be vulnerable in strong winds.

[What will Hurricane Florence mean for the Washington area?]

Parts of the Mid-Atlantic, especially from Virginia to Pennsylvania, have received 150 to 300 percent of their normal rainfall since May.

Wind

The strongest winds will occur where and when the storm makes landfall in a ring around the calm eye of the storm known as the eyewall. If the storm makes landfall as a Category 4, these winds will be destructive, sustained at up to 130 mph or so with higher gusts.

The zone where these intense winds occur will be narrow but the effects will likely be devastating, similar to a strong tornado. The Hurricane Center describes the types of damage associated with Category 4 winds:

Well-built framed homes can sustain severe damage with loss of most of the roof structure and/or some exterior walls. Most trees will be snapped or uprooted and power poles downed. Fallen trees and power poles will isolate residential areas. Power outages will last weeks to possibly months. Most of the area will be uninhabitable for weeks or months.

Outside of this zone of destructive winds, damaging winds are still likely, even some distance inland from the coast, which will lead to minor structural damage, downed trees, and widespread power outages.

If the storm stalls in eastern Carolinas as or just after the storm makes landfall, these wind impacts will be magnified.

The latest path projections

Where the storm makes landfall has implications for where the strongest winds and biggest rise in water at the coast occurs, but strong winds and extreme rainfall could occur at great distances from the landfall location. Keeping this in mind, here is the likelihood of landfall at different locations based on our evaluation of model data:

• 80 percent in the Carolinas
• 10 percent offshore
• 5 percent between northern Florida and Georgia
• 5 percent north of the Carolinas

Even in the unlikely event that the storm center remains just offshore, it will almost certainly come close enough to bring dangerous wind and flooding to coastal areas. Areas farther to the north and west may be somewhat spared in this scenario.

While the storm is expect to unleash its worst effects on the Carolinas and Virginia, residents farther north in coastal and inland areas in the Delmarva Peninsula, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and New York should also monitor the storm and prepare in case the forecast shifts to the north and east after landfall.

Florence’s place in history

If Florence makes landfall as a Category 4 in North Carolina, it would be the strongest storm to come ashore that far north on record.

If a major hurricane (Category 3 or higher) does make landfall along the Southeast coast, the rarity of such an event is relevant. Since 1851, only 10 major hurricanes have done so, and the most recent was Fran in 1996, 22 years ago. Hugo in 1989 was the one before that and was a Category 4 at landfall. No hurricane has made landfall as a Category 5 in this region on record.

Many people in the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic probably have not experienced a storm of the potential magnitude of Florence.

Source: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/capital-weather-gang/wp/2018/09/11/hurricane-florence-watches-posted-as-extremely-dangerous-florence-churns-toward-carolinas/?noredirect=on

The post Category 4 Hurricane Florence drawing closer to Carolinas and threatens ‘catastrophic’ flooding first appeared on Garner Ted Armstrong Evangelistic Association.