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NWS: Tropical Storm Watch in effect as Jose moves north

 

The National Weather Service issued a Tropical Storm Watch as Hurricane Jose continues to track north in the Atlantic Ocean. The latest tracking from the National Hurricane Center shows the center of the storm staying in the ocean, dealing Long Island a glancing blow.

The storm, which is 550 miles south-southeast of New York City as of Monday morning, is expected to remain a hurricane through Tuesday before weakening to a tropical storm by early Wednesday, according to the National Hurricane Center.

“The hurricane will be close enough to to bring potential impacts of tropical storm force winds, coastal flooding, and heavy rainfall,” according to the NWS warning.

Tropical storm force winds of 25-35 mph with gusts up to 45 mph can be expected locally overnight Monday into Tuesday, the NWS said. Wind could be strong enough to break tree limbs and uproot or snap trees in places where they are shallow rooted. Scattered power and communication outages can be expected. The heaviest winds and rain are expected across eastern Long Island and southeast Connecticut.

A threat of storm surge is expected to be greatest early Tuesday morning, the NWS said. Peak rainfall amounts of 2-4 inches are expected.

“Flood waters can enter a few structures, especially in usually vulnerable spots,” the NWS said.

Large waves can be expected, as much as 20 feet on coastal ocean waters south of Long Island and up to seven feet on central Long Island Sound.

Hurricane Jose has spared most land areas any significant damage as it lingered in the ocean over the past week after Hurricane Irma ripped through the Caribbean and up through Florida. Another hurricane has formed named Maria that’s expected to impact Puerto Rico as a major hurricane Wednesday into Thursday. It’s still too early to tell it’s potential path in terms of turning north.

See also:
For information on appropriate preparations see ready.gov
For information on creating an emergency plan see getagameplan.org
For additional disaster preparedness information see redcross.org