A powerful storm will hit the East Coast Saturday into Monday, bringing heavy rain, strong winds and possible flooding all the way from Florida to Maine.
Forecasters said Florida will bear the brunt of the storm Saturday afternoon before severe weather moves along the coast on Sunday. By Sunday, travel will likely be slow along parts of the East Coast due to flooded roads, airline delays and flight cancellations, AccuWeather predicted.
Fortunately, the only ingredient missing from the storm is cold air, which means heavy snow will not be a factor in most areas.
Bad weather in Florida: a windy, sunny state
With windy weather expected Saturday afternoon and into the evening in much of Florida, outdoor holiday parties have been canceled and outdoor decorations that were not installed could be blown away, the Associated Press said.
AccuWeather said strong thunderstorms could hit much of Florida Saturday afternoon into Saturday evening. Miami, Orlando, Tampa, and Jacksonville may be hit by devastating storms.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis activated the Florida State Guard on Friday.
“Strong thunderstorms could impact the Florida Peninsula and Keys Saturday night, with some likely to become severe and pose a risk for tornadoes and damaging wind gusts,” the Storm Prediction Center said.
In Volusia County, Emergency Management Director Jim Judge urged local residents to make sure their Christmas decorations are secured in preparation for the storm.
“Just take the normal precautions you would take with a tropical storm, and even though we're not looking at anything close that way, if you take those precautions, you'll be able to ride out this event,” Judge said.
Soggy Sunday
The National Weather Service said that rainfall will be heavy, potentially breaking records in some areas on Sunday, as the latest rainfall forecast from the Weather Prediction Center through Sunday evening indicates the possibility of widespread rain ranging from 2 to 4 inches, with Higher quantities locally. Especially along the coasts of Georgia and South Carolina, increasing the risk of flooding and flash flooding.
“Some of these rainfall amounts could approach or exceed daily rainfall records for mid-December,” the weather service said.
Wind is also an issue
AccuWeather warned that wind gusts along the Carolinas and north along the mid-Atlantic coast and New England will range between 40 and 60 miles per hour, leading to power outages across the region Sunday into Monday.
Beach erosion will occur, and some damage to dunes and other beach structures is possible.
Contributing: The Associated Press
