ICYMI: Sand from 'no-name nor'easter' buries coastal towns, forecasters warn about ominous conditions for upcoming holiday travel
By
Staff, AccuWeather
Published Nov 22, 2019 9:10 PM EDT
Over the past week, a nor’easter impacted the only place in the United States where Hurricane Dorian made landfall, and power was shut off to tens of thousands of Californians to minimize a fire risk. Meanwhile, on the other side of the world, blazes ran rampant in Australia, where an incredible act of heroism earned one woman the title of “absolute legend.” And Venice is not having the best luck as residents faced another round of floods. Here’s a glance back at the week in weather news.
'No-name nor'easter' batters parts of Carolinas
The North Carolina coast took a beating over the weekend from a nor'easter many are calling the "no-name storm" -- but for a storm without a name, it packed a heavy punch, hitting the string of barrier islands with strong winds and coastal flooding, and left tremendous damage.
The storm might’ve given residents of the Outer Banks flashbacks to Hurricane Dorian’s landfall in September, and some of the areas previously hit by Dorian were once again impacted.
Although it wasn’t a hurricane North Carolinians were faced with, AccuWeather's National Weather Reporter Jonathan Petramala said people were being told to prepare as such. Overwash seeped onto some coastal roads, and some of them were left completely submerged, as Petramala reported.
It is a bit easier to make a basket through this hoop after sand piled up during the weekend storm in Buxton, North Carolina. (AccuWeather/Jonathan Petramala)
(AccuWeather/Jonathan Petramala)
Areas including Avon, Hatteras and Buxton, North Carolina, were left flooded as a result of overtopping triggered by high winds. Water pushed over dunes in some locations during high-tide cycles, allowing more water to pour into residential areas and left homes, cars and streets buried beneath several feet of sand.
The wind gusts were quite strong, as well, for some areas. A ship off the coast of Wilmington, North Carolina, reported a gust of 80 mph, and gusts reached around 41 mph from Hatteras to Cape Lookout, according to AccuWeather meteorologists, with a buoy off the coast measuring gusts of 49 mph.
Tropical storm forms over the Atlantic as hurricane season nears its end
In what was hopefully the 2019 Atlantic hurricane season’s last hurrah, Tropical Storm Sebastien formed out over the central Atlantic Ocean on Tuesday. By Thursday night, the storm had reached maximum sustained winds of 60 mph and was churning about 565 miles northeast of the Leeward Islands.
This image, taken early Thursday morning, Nov. 21, 2019, shows Tropical Storm Sebastien to the northeast of the Leeward Islands. (NOAA/GOES-East)
AccuWeather meteorologists said that storm posed no threat to land, but for a time, Sebastien had a chance to become the season’s seventh hurricane, with a little over a week to go until the season ends. And that's notable because had it reached hurricane force, Sebastien would've been the first "S" hurricane since Sandy in 2012.
Other than Sebastien, AccuWeather forecasters aren’t expecting any further tropical development over the Atlantic through the end of hurricane season, which wraps up on Nov. 30.
Welcome rain soaks parts of Southwest
Rain drenched parts of the southwestern U.S. on Tuesday, with some spots in southwestern California getting soaked with more than half their average rainfall amounts on Tuesday alone, according to radar estimates. The heavy downpours triggered wind advisories, flash flood warnings and beach hazard statements along coastal areas.
By Thursday evening, Needles, California, had picked up 1.36 inches of rain between Tuesday and Wednesday. The rain the city received in those two days was nearly 30% of its average for the entire year, according to AccuWeather Meteorologist Brandon Buckingham.
Blythe, California, received 0.92 of an inch of rain both Tuesday and Wednesday. That’s a shade more than the city averages from October to December combined, which is 0.91 of an inch. In San Diego County, rain dropped between half an inch and an inch of rain along the coast Wednesday, and the highest mountains received more than 2 inches.
The flooding rain caused problems for drivers traveling in the Mojave Desert early Wednesday, leaving over 100 vehicles stranded, ABC7 in Los Angeles reported.
But the rain didn't necessarily make it to other parts of the state where it's needed. On Wednesday, Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) moved forward with shutting off power to about 150,000 customers in Northern California as a precaution to reduce the risk of a wildfire outbreak amid dry conditions. The shutoffs impacted customers across 18 counties in parts of the Sierra Foothills, the North Bay and North Valley.
More flooding in Venice as snow disrupts Italian Alps
The weather has not been showing Italy a lot of amore lately. Venice experienced its third exceptional flooding event in less than a week’s time on Sunday, when its Tide Office reported water levels peaking at 4.9 feet, The Associated Press reported.
Officials were forced to close St. Mark’s Square as shop owners hurried to sandbag their stores. The recent flooding has resulted in hundreds of millions of euros worth of damage, and the area has been under a state of emergency.
Meanwhile, other areas of Italy had to deal with disruptive snow this week, which blocked roads and knocked out power in the Italian Alps. Two homes were damaged in the South Tyrol region following an avalanche.
Not all heroes wear capes -- and some don't even wear shirts while in the middle of their heroics
A good Samaritan identified only as Toni was seen saving the life of a koala burned in a rapidly-spreading wildfire in east Australia. (Reuters)
In the midst of the fires, a courageous Australian woman risked her life to save the life of a wounded koala. Dramatic video that emerged this week showed the hurt and disoriented koala crawling across a road and onto the smoldering ground before climbing up a tree.
Upon seeing the koala in distress, the woman, identified only as Toni, took off her shirt, charged into the danger zone and rescued the koala from the tree. She used her shirt to swaddle the frightened animal and ran away with it to safety, then doused it with water to cool its burns. Port Macquarie Koala Hospital, where the koala was quickly transported, praised Toni for her life-saving efforts, calling her an “absolute legend” in a Facebook post.
In a happy ending for the koala, the hospital added that the animal had been treated and was recovering in the hospital’s "five-star accommodation."
Wildfires have continued to wreak havoc across multiple states in Australia over the past week while the highest level of fire warnings remains in effect for those areas.
In South Australia, temperatures soared to record levels Wednesday as dozens of fires ignited. Adelaide was scorching hot, with temperatures between 107 and 108 degrees Fahrenheit, almost reaching the all-time November high of 108.9 F, set in 1962.
The catastrophic fire conditions led to more than 100 schools closing in South Australia on Wednesday.
AccuWeather forecasters issue early warnings about weather-related Thanksgiving travel woes
As many Americans set out this weekend on their holiday voyages, AccuWeather meteorologists were out in front this week with forecasts showing where and how a host of weather factors could disrupt their journeys. Over the weekend, snow, ice and rain will hamper travelers in the Northeast getting an early start to their Thanksgiving destinations.
And next week, a significant stretch of the country could face a major storm just as Thanksgiving travel reaches its height next week -- and it could have a ripple effect across the nation. Stay tuned to AccuWeather.com and the AccuWeather TV network for the latest forecasts and stories as Thanksgiving approaches.
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News / Weather News
ICYMI: Sand from 'no-name nor'easter' buries coastal towns, forecasters warn about ominous conditions for upcoming holiday travel
By Staff, AccuWeather
Published Nov 22, 2019 9:10 PM EDT
Over the past week, a nor’easter impacted the only place in the United States where Hurricane Dorian made landfall, and power was shut off to tens of thousands of Californians to minimize a fire risk. Meanwhile, on the other side of the world, blazes ran rampant in Australia, where an incredible act of heroism earned one woman the title of “absolute legend.” And Venice is not having the best luck as residents faced another round of floods. Here’s a glance back at the week in weather news.
'No-name nor'easter' batters parts of Carolinas
The North Carolina coast took a beating over the weekend from a nor'easter many are calling the "no-name storm" -- but for a storm without a name, it packed a heavy punch, hitting the string of barrier islands with strong winds and coastal flooding, and left tremendous damage.
The storm might’ve given residents of the Outer Banks flashbacks to Hurricane Dorian’s landfall in September, and some of the areas previously hit by Dorian were once again impacted.
Although it wasn’t a hurricane North Carolinians were faced with, AccuWeather's National Weather Reporter Jonathan Petramala said people were being told to prepare as such. Overwash seeped onto some coastal roads, and some of them were left completely submerged, as Petramala reported.
It is a bit easier to make a basket through this hoop after sand piled up during the weekend storm in Buxton, North Carolina. (AccuWeather/Jonathan Petramala)
Areas including Avon, Hatteras and Buxton, North Carolina, were left flooded as a result of overtopping triggered by high winds. Water pushed over dunes in some locations during high-tide cycles, allowing more water to pour into residential areas and left homes, cars and streets buried beneath several feet of sand.
The wind gusts were quite strong, as well, for some areas. A ship off the coast of Wilmington, North Carolina, reported a gust of 80 mph, and gusts reached around 41 mph from Hatteras to Cape Lookout, according to AccuWeather meteorologists, with a buoy off the coast measuring gusts of 49 mph.
Tropical storm forms over the Atlantic as hurricane season nears its end
In what was hopefully the 2019 Atlantic hurricane season’s last hurrah, Tropical Storm Sebastien formed out over the central Atlantic Ocean on Tuesday. By Thursday night, the storm had reached maximum sustained winds of 60 mph and was churning about 565 miles northeast of the Leeward Islands.
This image, taken early Thursday morning, Nov. 21, 2019, shows Tropical Storm Sebastien to the northeast of the Leeward Islands. (NOAA/GOES-East)
AccuWeather meteorologists said that storm posed no threat to land, but for a time, Sebastien had a chance to become the season’s seventh hurricane, with a little over a week to go until the season ends. And that's notable because had it reached hurricane force, Sebastien would've been the first "S" hurricane since Sandy in 2012.
Other than Sebastien, AccuWeather forecasters aren’t expecting any further tropical development over the Atlantic through the end of hurricane season, which wraps up on Nov. 30.
Welcome rain soaks parts of Southwest
Rain drenched parts of the southwestern U.S. on Tuesday, with some spots in southwestern California getting soaked with more than half their average rainfall amounts on Tuesday alone, according to radar estimates. The heavy downpours triggered wind advisories, flash flood warnings and beach hazard statements along coastal areas.
By Thursday evening, Needles, California, had picked up 1.36 inches of rain between Tuesday and Wednesday. The rain the city received in those two days was nearly 30% of its average for the entire year, according to AccuWeather Meteorologist Brandon Buckingham.
Blythe, California, received 0.92 of an inch of rain both Tuesday and Wednesday. That’s a shade more than the city averages from October to December combined, which is 0.91 of an inch. In San Diego County, rain dropped between half an inch and an inch of rain along the coast Wednesday, and the highest mountains received more than 2 inches.
The flooding rain caused problems for drivers traveling in the Mojave Desert early Wednesday, leaving over 100 vehicles stranded, ABC7 in Los Angeles reported.
But the rain didn't necessarily make it to other parts of the state where it's needed. On Wednesday, Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) moved forward with shutting off power to about 150,000 customers in Northern California as a precaution to reduce the risk of a wildfire outbreak amid dry conditions. The shutoffs impacted customers across 18 counties in parts of the Sierra Foothills, the North Bay and North Valley.
More flooding in Venice as snow disrupts Italian Alps
The weather has not been showing Italy a lot of amore lately. Venice experienced its third exceptional flooding event in less than a week’s time on Sunday, when its Tide Office reported water levels peaking at 4.9 feet, The Associated Press reported.
Officials were forced to close St. Mark’s Square as shop owners hurried to sandbag their stores. The recent flooding has resulted in hundreds of millions of euros worth of damage, and the area has been under a state of emergency.
Meanwhile, other areas of Italy had to deal with disruptive snow this week, which blocked roads and knocked out power in the Italian Alps. Two homes were damaged in the South Tyrol region following an avalanche.
Not all heroes wear capes -- and some don't even wear shirts while in the middle of their heroics
A good Samaritan identified only as Toni was seen saving the life of a koala burned in a rapidly-spreading wildfire in east Australia. (Reuters)
In the midst of the fires, a courageous Australian woman risked her life to save the life of a wounded koala. Dramatic video that emerged this week showed the hurt and disoriented koala crawling across a road and onto the smoldering ground before climbing up a tree.
Upon seeing the koala in distress, the woman, identified only as Toni, took off her shirt, charged into the danger zone and rescued the koala from the tree. She used her shirt to swaddle the frightened animal and ran away with it to safety, then doused it with water to cool its burns. Port Macquarie Koala Hospital, where the koala was quickly transported, praised Toni for her life-saving efforts, calling her an “absolute legend” in a Facebook post.
In a happy ending for the koala, the hospital added that the animal had been treated and was recovering in the hospital’s "five-star accommodation."
Wildfires have continued to wreak havoc across multiple states in Australia over the past week while the highest level of fire warnings remains in effect for those areas.
In South Australia, temperatures soared to record levels Wednesday as dozens of fires ignited. Adelaide was scorching hot, with temperatures between 107 and 108 degrees Fahrenheit, almost reaching the all-time November high of 108.9 F, set in 1962.
The catastrophic fire conditions led to more than 100 schools closing in South Australia on Wednesday.
AccuWeather forecasters issue early warnings about weather-related Thanksgiving travel woes
As many Americans set out this weekend on their holiday voyages, AccuWeather meteorologists were out in front this week with forecasts showing where and how a host of weather factors could disrupt their journeys. Over the weekend, snow, ice and rain will hamper travelers in the Northeast getting an early start to their Thanksgiving destinations.
And next week, a significant stretch of the country could face a major storm just as Thanksgiving travel reaches its height next week -- and it could have a ripple effect across the nation. Stay tuned to AccuWeather.com and the AccuWeather TV network for the latest forecasts and stories as Thanksgiving approaches.
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