Many Rivers in Irene's Wake Crest; Flooding Not Over
Floodwater caused by Irene rushes along Route 73 in St. Huberts, N.Y., Monday, Aug. 29, 2011, tearing up the road as it flows. (AP Photo/Hans Pennink)
Many rivers that severely flooded in the wake of Hurricane Irene have crested. However, several days must still pass before these rivers fully return to their banks and cleanup efforts can start.
The gage along the swollen Connecticut River at Hartford, Conn., was the latest to report a crest following Hurricane Irene's inundating rain.
The Connecticut River's level at Hartford rose to 24.78 feet on Tuesday evening, well above its flood stage of 16.0 feet.
The river will next crest at around 15.40 feet this morning at Middletown, Conn.
Other rivers that recently crested include the Housatonic River at Falls Village, Conn., and the Passaic River at Pine Brook and Little Falls, N.J.
The Passaic River's crest of 24.12 feet at Pine Brook early on Tuesday morning shattered the long-standing record of 23.20 feet from Oct. 10, 1903.
Despite cresting, the Housatonic and Connecticut rivers in southern New England will remain above flood stage through early this weekend.
"While the sudden, intense rain from Irene led to hundreds of incidents of flash urban and small stream flooding, larger rivers respond more slowly to heavy rainfall...," stated AccuWeather.com Expert Senior Meteorologist Alex Sosnowski.
It will take until Friday for the Passaic River at Pine Brook to fall below its major flood stage of 21.0 feet, according to the National Weather Service's Middle Atlantic River Forecast Center.
The river should drop under flood stage (19.0 feet) in the following few days.
Flooded rivers also remain a problem farther south in southeastern Virginia and eastern North Carolina.
The Tar River at Greenville, N.C., is approaching its crest of near 14.20 feet this morning. However, the Blackwater River near Franklin, Va., will not crest until the river peaks at 15.6 feet on Thursday night.
Once the rivers throughout the East Coast return to their banks, residents can begin the painstaking task of cleaning up the mud and devastation left behind.
"Most estimates [of the cost of Irene] range between $7 and $13 billion," stated AccuWeather.com Staff Writer Grace Muller.
Irene's death toll stood at 44 on Tuesday, according to the Associated Press.
Fortunately, the weather into Friday will not delay or bring a second crest to these swollen rivers.
After dry conditions prevail today, a few showers will dot parts of the Northeast and the spine of the Appalachians on Thursday. The rain from these showers will be rather light and not capable of triggering new flooding issues.
More numerous showers and thunderstorms will reach the Northeast this weekend.
The next chance, and AccuWeather.com meteorologists stress the word chance, for flooding rain to return to the East Coast could be next week if a tropical system develops in the Gulf of Mexico and turns northeastward.
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