Hermine kills 2, ruins beach weekends in northward march

If the easterly track holds up on Sunday, New Jersey will still face dangerously high seas and strong rip currents, tropical storm-force winds near the coast and a large storm surge that will likely cause coastal flooding in towns along the Jersey Shore, according to the National Weather Service.

Forecasters at the National Hurricane Center expect Hermine to turn to the northeast and decrease its forward speed on Saturday night.

Hermine was moving across the northern Outer Banks of North Carolina in an east-northeasterly direction at near 21 miles (33 kilometers) per hour, the Miami-based National Hurricane Center said. A tropical storm warning remains in effect for southern Westchester County and New York City, however.

Duffey said rain will be a “non-issue” until then, and winds also will be less than expected, although coastal areas of Delaware, New Jersey an NY could see gusts of up to 50 miles per hour.

New Jersey Governor Chris Christie has joined a number of other state governors to declare a state of emergency following heavy rains and winds from Tropical Storm Hermine.

“The biggest thing today is for people not to be lulled by the nice weather, that nothing’s going to happen”.

“At a minimum, we’re going to have some beach erosion, rip currents and risky waves all the way from the south facing shores of New England, Cape Cod, Nantucket … down to the Hampton Roads area”, Knabb said. “There will be impact from this storm”.

The center also extended its Tropical Storm Warning to west of Watch Hill, R.I., including Long Island, Long Island Sound and New York City.

Michael Mann at Pennsylvania State University noted that this century’s one-foot sea-level rise in New York City meant 25 more square miles flooded during Superstorm Sandy, causing billions more in damage. A Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band concert set for Virginia Beach also was postponed from Saturday to Monday because of the storm.

Hermine rose up over the Gulf of Mexico as a Category 1 hurricane, hitting Florida and crossing over Georgia before whipping up the Carolinas Saturday.

Parts of the East Coast drew a meteorological reprieve Sunday after the powerful Hermine storm system drifted farther east than forecast, diminishing the threat of further damage after walloping parts of the Southeast with high winds, heavy rains and storm surge.

The almost 3-mile long bridge crosses the Intracoastal Waterway and is the main link from the North Carolina mainland to the Outer Banks.

A homeowner found and rescued two baby raccoons after a tree fell in the storm and their mother was not to be found.

On Saturday, high winds tipped over an 18-wheeler, killing its driver and shutting down a bridge in North Carolina’s Outer Banks.

Overnight, four people suffered minor injuries when a tornado hit a campground in Hatteras Village, Dare County, North Carolina, officials said. The U.S. Coast Guard is advising boaters and swimmers along the NY and New Jersey coasts to use caution.

The water and wind receded, but the ocean remained unsafe on Saturday afternoon, he said.

Associated Press contributors include Jeffrey Collins in Columbia, S.C., Tamara Lush in Tampa, Florida, and Jeff Martin in Atlanta.