Torrential rains, floods and tornadoes: Cristobal's record storm hits the US

Storm Cristobal went on land on the Gulf of Mexico, bringing with it strong gusts of wind and heavy rains, writes AccuWeather. This storm promises to break two records at once - in terms of the time of its appearance and in terms of its trajectory across the United States.

Photo: Shutterstock

Late in the evening on Sunday, June 7, Cristobal went ashore on the Gulf of Mexico in the form of a tropical storm that hit the coastline of Louisiana with steady winds and gusts at a speed of 50 mph (80 km / h). A storm covered southeast Louisiana, but tropical storm conditions spread along the Mississippi and Alabama coastlines, and heavy rain fell in Panhandle, Florida.

Cristobal regained the status of a tropical storm on Friday, June 5, when he began moving north after heavy rains in southern Mexico and Central America. The storm continued to gain strength, moving through the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico from Saturday to Sunday (June 6 and 7). Cristobal's center ended up on land between the mouth of the Mississippi River and Grand Isle, Louisiana, about 100 miles (160 km) south of New Orleans at 17:00 p.m. PST on June 7.

Photo: nhc.noaa.gov

Cristobal is the earliest tropical storm system recorded in the Atlantic Basin. The National Hurricane Center will be monitoring the system, which promises to move much further across the continent and even beyond Wisconsin than any other post-tropical system since the mid-1800s.

The storm gradually lost its power over land, weakening to a tropical depression early in the morning on Monday, June 8.

Water from Lake Pontchartrain is splashing up against Lakeshore Drive in New Orleans on Sunday, June 7, 2020, as Tropical Storm Cristobal nears.

Lakeshore Drive is closed due to Tropical Storm Cristobal.

Video by @mlbecherer pic.twitter.com/TjSCikNGl3

- NOLA.com (@NOLAnews) June 7, 2020

Breaking: Tropical Storm Cristobal has made landfall on the Southeast Louisiana coast. A video shows storm surge from Cristobal affecting Bay St. Louis, Mississippi. pic.twitter.com/zPW0KUWaw5

- PM Breaking News (MPMBreakingNews) June 7, 2020

Despite the easing, the risk of isolated tornadoes, floods and local destructive winds will continue throughout the day in the lower Mississippi Valley and the central Gulf of Mexico.

Over the weekend, several tornadoes were recorded in Florida: at this time, external elements of the storm began to affect the state. On Saturday, June 6, one tornado approached downtown Orlando.

On the subject: How to insure home and property from floods in the US

This is Tropical Storm Cristobal ... in Orlando, FL; currently under tornado warning. Fun night ... pic.twitter.com/XFhnPlZjgx

- Ezra Adams ⚜️⚜️ (@Ezra_Nola) June 7, 2020

Stormy surf was observed long before Cristobal made landfall. On June 5, two brothers, 8 and 10 years old, died off the coast of Louisiana - they were washed away by a wave on the beach in Grand Isle and carried out to the open sea when Cristobal was already raging in the Gulf of Mexico.

Although deep coastline problems will gradually decrease as Cristobal moves deeper, heavy rains and gusty winds will continue to affect the states along the Gulf of Mexico and the lower Mississippi Valley earlier this week.

On the afternoon of June 7th, 100 employees at Silver Slipper Casino in Hancock County, Mississippi, were evacuated as floods literally trapped them in the building. Rescuers had to wade through 1,5-meter water to ensure the safety of people. Also, a family staying on vacation was rescued from the hotel.

According to Poweroutage.us, around 2 customers in Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana affected power outages by 8am on June 20th.

Photo: nhc.noaa.gov

In anticipation of the storm, Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards asked President Donald Trump to declare an emergency on June 5, just before the storm hit land.

“We are confident that there will be widespread heavy rainfall and coastal flooding,” Edwards said in a news release. “I expect that emergency protective measures, evacuations and sheltering in high-risk areas will be needed...At this time, due to the dangers associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, sheltering should include non-congregate settings.”

"We don't expect Cristobal to move as slowly as Storm Barry with its 24 inches of rain," said Dan Kottlowski, AccuWeather's chief hurricane expert, referring to the short-lived hurricane that hit the Gulf Coast in July 60 and caused widespread flooding.

Even at the faster pace of Cristobal than Barry, meteorologists have warned that the amount of rainfall predicted during the storm may be sufficient to cause severe flooding along and east of the storm path. A total rainfall of 6–12 inches (15–30 cm) was designed using AccuWeather systems, with an indicator of 16 inches (over 40 cm) above southeast Louisiana and southern Mississippi.

Waterspout spotted off of Gulf Shores, Alabama, as Tropical Storm Cristobal nears US coast. https://t.co/PGVQu7iQMc pic.twitter.com/cOpwZCSelK

- ABC News (@ABC) June 7, 2020

Flooding can occur even where conditions were rather dry this year. For example, in Mobile, Alabama, 1 inches (6 cm) of rain fell from January 21,50 to June 54,6, or about 76% of the norm. By the evening of June 7, a flash flood warning was issued in the city due to heavy rain in the area.

Winds will remain gusty as Cristobal moves north into the lower Mississippi Valley. Gusts will fluctuate between 30-50 miles (48-80 km / h) per hour with some gusts of up to 60 miles (more than 96 km / h) per hour.

Photo: nhc.noaa.gov

Cristobal is expected to move deep into the Mississippi Valley this week. An area of ​​heavy rain with local flooding is likely, as the storm moves north and turns into tropical rain.

Problems caused by the storm could continue into the Upper Midwest with rain and flooding, severe thunderstorms and gusty winds as the tropical storm transitions into a continental storm.

Any flooding can also affect the rice crop in the Mississippi Delta. About 65% of the total rice crop in the USA is grown in this region, with 40% of the crop in the USA being grown only in Arkansas.

The threat of flooding will become a major concern in the next two to three days. Flood watches and warnings stretch for a thousand miles - from the Gulf Coast to Wisconsin - putting more than 15 million people at risk, writes CNN.

Strong winds and heavy rain have hit the US Gulf Coast as #StormCristobal made landfall in Louisiana, where floodwaters have partially submerged roads and vehicles.

To watch more videos, click here: https://t.co/bYvQ7uENwh pic.twitter.com/khYQfyKbMF

- SkyNews (@SkyNews) June 8, 2020

According to the National Hurricane Center, "flash flooding and new and renewed river flooding are possible, especially where heavier rainfall is occurring - over parts of the Gulf Coast toward the Mississippi River Valley."

The greatest threat for flash flooding will be over the next 24 hours (as of the morning of June 8) in the lower Mississippi River Valley and across the Ozark Mountains of Arkansas and Missouri. Some of these areas could receive 10 inches (25 cm) of rain, with some receiving up to 15 inches (38 cm), according to the National Hurricane Center. In many cases, rain bands created by tropical systems will set up in the same area, causing continuous hours of rain and life-threatening flash floods.

On the subject: Housing prices are plummeting: 40 US cities that will soon be under water

“Inland flooding from U.S. hurricanes and tropical storms has caused more deaths over the past 30 years in the U.S. than from any other hazard. While wind speeds and storm surge are important, flash flooding from intense rainfall impacts more people and extends over a much larger area,” said CNN meteorologist Brandon Miller.

Photo: nhc.noaa.gov

Cristobal will eventually lose its tropical characteristics over the next few days as it interacts with an advancing cold front in the Upper Midwest. However, it will still “remain formidable,” meteorologists say.

The hurricane season had just begun on June 1, and the Atlantic had already set a new record. Cristobal became the earliest third recorded tropical storm. It was preceded by Arthur and Berta, who formed before the official start of the season. And soon new threats are possible. AccuWeather predicts a busy tropical season in the Atlantic with 14–20 tropical storms, 7–11 of which can become hurricanes, as well as 4 to 6 major major hurricanes of category 3 or higher.

Read also on ForumDaily:

Hurricane season officially begins in the USA: what to prepare for and what to stock up on

Dozens of devastating storms: US residents face an unusually harsh hurricane season

Hurricanes around the world are getting stronger and more intense: what comes next

Not only coronavirus: in 2020 cruel natural disasters await the world

Do you want more important and interesting news about life in the USA and immigration to America? — support us donate! Also subscribe to our page Facebook. Select the “Priority in display” option and read us first. Also, don't forget to subscribe to our РєР ° РЅР ° Р »РІ Telegram  and Instagram- there is a lot of interesting things there. And join thousands of readers ForumDaily New York — there you will find a lot of interesting and positive information about life in the metropolis.