Hurricane NATE Landfall - Flooding - Rain - Storm Surge

https://www.paypal.me/THORnews We've got a major rainmaker headed our way, Gulf Coast of the United States of America. Harvey. Irma. Maria. So this will be US Territory striking Hurricane #4. And we still have 7 weeks left in the Season. Strange days, indeed. God bless everyone, T https://www.paypal.me/THORnews @newTHOR on twitter   / thornewsgo   an article on the situation https://www.wunderground.com/cat6/tro... Tropical Storm Nate May Hit Mexico and U.S. Gulf Coast as a Strengthening Hurricane ropical Storm Nate formed at 8 am EDT Thursday morning in the Southwestern Caribbean near the coast of Nicaragua, and is bringing torrential rains to portions of Nicaragua and Costa Rica as it moves northwest at 9 mph. Nate will be a significant rainfall threat to Central America over the next two days, and is likely to threaten Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula as a tropical storm or Category 1 hurricane on Friday, and arrive on the U.S. Gulf Coast this weekend as a hurricane. Nate made landfall over northeastern Nicaragua late Thursday morning as a tropical storm with 40 mph winds, and tropical storm warnings are up for much of the coast of Nicaragua and Honduras. However, the main danger to Central America from Nate will be torrential rains: 15 – 20” in Nicaragua, 5 – 10” in Panama and Costa Rica, and 4 - 8” in Honduras and the eastern Yucatan Peninsula. Much of the heavy rain in Nicaragua, Coast Rica, and Panama will occur on the Pacific side, as Nate’s large circulation pulls moisture from the Pacific across Central America and into the Southwest Caribbean. Satellite rainfall estimates show that the heaviest rains from Nate thus far have been on the Pacific side of Costa Rica and Panama, where over 8” of rain has fallen over the past 7 days. A personal weather station on the Pacific coast of Nicaragua recorded 3.34”of rain in the 12 hours beginning at 6 pm Wednesday. Satellite imagery early Thursday afternoon showed that although the intensity of Nate’s heavy thunderstorms had waned slightly after the center made landfall, the overall structure of the storm was holding together, with the low-level spiral bands remaining prominent. Conditions were favorable for development, with moderate wind shear of 10 - 20 knots, sea surface temperatures (SSTs) a very warm 30°C (86°F), and an unusually moist atmosphere with a mid-level relative humidity of 85%. Short-term forecast for Nate Once Nate finishes its traverse of northeastern Honduras on Thursday evening and emerges into the Western Caribbean, the storm will be in a very favorable environment for intensification. The 12Z Thursday run of the SHIPS model predicted that wind shear would be low to moderate, 5 – 15 knots, through Saturday. SSTs will be a very warm 30°C (86°F), and Nate will have an unusually moist atmosphere, with a mid-level relative humidity of 80 – 85%. Models agree that Nate will make landfall between late Saturday night and midday Sunday, most likely somewhere between southeast Louisiana and the western Florida Panhandle. There was a significant shift west in the model consensus on Wednesday night: the European and other models fell into line with the GFS, which had been calling for a more leftward track into far southeast Louisiana. This is a good time to keep in mind that even a superior model overall (such as the Euro) may not be the best model on any given storm or on any given day. The Euro and GFS aren't so much like a pro baseball pitcher and a high-school pitcher; they are more like two excellent pro pitchers, one of whom has slightly better stats, but either of whom might pitch the better game next Saturday night. Storm surge Storm surge is a particular concern with Nate. Much of the stretch of the central Gulf Coast from southeast Louisiana to the western Florida Panhandle is quite vulnerable to storm surge. Exact surge values will depend on Nate’s strength and specific track, but it’s not too soon for coastal dwellers to be aware of the risk and to begin preparing for it. Although the range between low and high tide is not extremely large along the central Gulf Coast, some of the highest astronomical tides of the year will be occurring this weekend into early next week. From Biloxi to Pensacola, high tide occurs around midnight, with the main low tide in the morning. If Nate moves as fast as some models are projecting, it could arrive during the high part of this cycle early Sunday. Because Nate will be moving so quickly, its surge impact is unlikely to extend beyond one tidal cycle. Rain By the time Nate reaches the United States, its quick movement will help limit the risk of extreme rainfall totals. A swath of 3 – 6” can be expected within about 150 miles of Nate’s center, from the Gulf Coast north across the Appalachians to parts of New York and/or New England.