NORTHEAST COASTAL AREAS ISSED TROPICAL STORM WATCH

NORTHEAST COASTAL AREAS ISSED TROPICAL STORM WATCH – Good evening everyone. NYC area waters, including the Jersey shore, coastal areas of Long Island, and points east and north have been issued Tropical Storm Watches in regards to Hurricane Jose.

This was a long time coming in my book, and for a couple of days now I’ve been saying that if models keep trending/sticking to a specific path, that tropical storm watches would be issued. The reason is two-fold – 1. As Hurricane Jose begins to take on more of a post-tropical signature as it encounters colder water, the wind field would expand. 2. The path of Jose takes it too close for comfort, east of the Long Island Forks and Cape Cod.

So what does this mean for us? Aside from making it official, nothing much. The NYC/Long Island area, especially the immediate shore, will encounter stiff winds approaching at or near Tropical Storm strength, and gusts possible at tropical storm strength. Aside from it’s tropical/post-tropical characteristics, this will be no different than a strong Nor’easter in terms of effects. The further you go out east, the stronger the wind potential may be, especially the extreme east end of Long Island; with the strongest effects being felt at Nantucket, Martha’s Vineyard, and Cape Cod.

The biggest issue for our area will be the approach of Jose in conjunction with the new moon. Again, this is not a Sandy situation and entire areas will not be wiped out by a giant storm surge. However, if you live in an area that sees flooding during bad Nor’easters when we have a new or full moon, you need to pay close attention and take whatever action you need to in order to protect property.

Jose is almost 5 days in the works as far as my warnings about it being too close. Aside from last minute stuff such as moving outdoor furniture around, theres not much more preparing that should need to be done at this point. The biggest risk will be coastal flooding in flood prone areas, gusty showers/squalls, minor damage with downed limbs and/or weak trees, some power outages if any branches or trees down a power line.

Stay tuned as we fine tune the final approach for Jose. The ETA as of now is Tuesday, with the majority of Jose’s effects Tuesday night into Wednesday. Remember, this is not armageddon, just be smart and safe.