New York City (pictured, 2021) experienced fast-moving and torrential rainfall that fell on the city over the weekend. More severe weather may be on the way in the northeastern United States while several parts of the country are at risk of experiencing flooding from record precipitation. File Photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License Photo
May 1 (UPI) — More severe weather may be on the way in the northeastern United States while several parts of the country are at risk of experiencing flooding from record precipitation.
The East Coast was the focus of intense weather on Sunday. On Monday, Virginia Beach, Va., still was reeling after being struck by an EF-3 tornado the previous afternoon. As many as 100 homes were destroyed, CNN reports.
The National Weather Service in Wakefield, Va., confirmed a tornado touched ground in the Great Neck region of the city, based on debris signatures and damage reports.
The weather service’s preliminary research estimates there were peak winds of 150 mph in Great Neck that shifted the foundations of “well-built” homes, collapsed walls and tore off roofs.
There were no injuries or deaths from the storm, Mayor Robert Dyer said during a press conference on Monday.
“If you take a look at the devastation that’s out there, it is indeed a miracle,” Dyer said.
Another system is moving in between Monday and Wednesday, but that system is likely to remain further to the north. Western Virginia may receive some precipitation. To the west and north stretching from West Virginia to Maine, heavy precipitation is likely, with a chance of a snow mixture likely for West Virginia and Pennsylvania.
New York City did not have time to prepare for the torrential rainfall that fell on the city over the weekend. Nearly 6 inches of rain reportedly fell between Friday and Sunday, causing flooding across streets and major veins in the city.
An apartment building was evacuated in the Bronx on Sunday after a retaining wall collapsed. Several more nearby buildings were evacuated as a precaution. Mayor Eric Adams tweeted that nobody was injured.
The heavy rains brought record precipitation to several areas of the East Coast on Sunday, including Augusta, Maine, where 3 inches fell. Other parts of the state recorded up to 5 inches, sparking flash flood warnings, the Portland, Maine, Press-Herald reports. Commuters were warned to watch for washed-out and flooded roads.
According to the National Weather Service, as few as 6 inches of moving water can wash a vehicle off the roadway.
WMTW 8, an ABC affiliate in Poland Spring, Maine, reports that several roads have been washed out from Maine to New Hampshire.
The rain and heavy wind also caused widespread power outages along Maine’s coast. About 33,000 customers remained without power on Monday afternoon.
Palm Beach, Fla., also was the site of an uncommon, extreme weather event over the weekend. A massive EF-2 tornado, measuring an estimated 320 yards wide, ripped through the city for more than 2 miles, lasting 11 minutes, The Palm Beach Post reports. Meteorologist Shawn Bhatti told the outlet that a tornado in South Florida is “pretty rare.”
Cleanup efforts continued on Monday. The 130 mph sustained winds caused widespread tree damage and left several homes uninhabitable. No deaths were reported.
In the Midwest, the flooding that the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration forecasted along the Mississippi River is beginning to take shape. In the Quad Cities along the Eastern Iowa border, the Mississippi River crested at 21.46 feet on Monday. The river is in a flood stage at 15 feet.
Flooding has begun affecting Davenport, Iowa, The Gazette in Cedar Rapids reports. Snowmelt from Minnesota and Wisconsin have pushed river crests on the upper Mississippi River to historic levels. This has caused economic activity on and along the river to pause with more than 10 locks and dams closing.
Most communities along the Iowa-Illinois border are expected to reach “major flooding” status, The Des Moines Register reports. The worst of the flooding will pass by the end of the week.
Farther west, record heat is putting Utah in the path of flooding as a historic snowpack from a record-setting winter begins to melt rapidly. The temperature in Salt Lake City hit 87 degrees on Sunday, 21 degrees above normal, The Salt Lake Tribune reports. Unseasonably warm weather will continue into Tuesday with temperatures in the 80s and possibly topping out at 90 degrees on Monday.
The Utah Department of Transportation has closed several major roads, including U.S. Highway 89, in some areas due to avalanche risks. The department has issued flood warnings for several areas, KSL reports.
