When a hurricane comes ashore, it can get even more dangerous
Earlier this week, a late season tropical storm named Ida came ashore along the Alabama-Florida gulf coast.
The once powerful category 2 hurricane quickly weekend as it charged inland. It dumped copious amounts of rain over the already saturated southeast United States. However, it can now be argued that the remnants of Ida are more of a danger than Tropical Storm Ida.
The system lost its tropical characteristics a day after it made landfall, and transitioned into an extra-tropical cyclone. Since then, it has slowly moved through the Mid-Atlantic States bringing heavy rain and brutal winds as a powerful nor’easter.
Maximum wind gusts have exceeded hurricane force, stronger than those along the gulf coast endured when the storm initially made landfall. Onshore winds on the north side of the system have created large waves that have caused major beach erosion stretching from Virginia to New Jersey.
There have been several deaths as a result of the storm. This makes our expected round of cold rain and winds seem very tame.