Hurricane Isaias Causing Tornados, Flooding and High Winds Along the East Coast

Hurricane Isaias proved to be no joke when it made landfall in North Carolina and began its ascent up the east coast. Once a tropical storm, the storm moved up a classification to a Category 1 shortly before striking Ocean Isle Beach, North Carolina, around 11:10 p.m. on Monday. With it came a mix of heavy flooding, high-velocity winds and even a string of tornadoes despite eventually dropping back down to a tropical storm.

In regards to the latter, tornado watches were set off from Virginia to New York and Connecticut. In the late morning on Tuesday, funnel clouds began to take shape in Delaware and New Jersey, with up to four tornados spotted in Delaware as homes saw whole walls come tumbling down and siding ripped apart. A tornado also made its way along the Jersey Shore coast just outside of Ocean City. There was a reported death in New York City after a tree fell onto a car. The storm saw frequent gusts reach between 60 to 70 mph, enough to topple trees and snap telephone poles. As a result, power outages became the norm along the Northeast corridor with up to 2.7 million people reportedly without power.

In New Jersey, many were comparing it to the likes of Hurricane Sandy, a 2012 Category 2 storm that destroyed all in its path along the coastline. That hurricane saw nearly $70 billion in damage, making it the second-costliest hurricane behind Harvey in 2017. Pennsylvania also saw Isaias’ wrath as many towns found themselves underwater due to flooding from nearby lakes and rivers. One such area like this was Darby, Pennsylvania, where people needed to evacuate their homes and get to higher ground due to the intense flooding that took place. As Isaias makes its way up the northeast, it is expected to reach the eastern part of Canada early Wednesday morning.

Prior to wreaking havoc from North Carolina and up, Isaias just eluded Florida, weakening into a tropical storm while its damaging winds mostly remained offshore. Most of the nasty weather was reserved for the eastern portion of the state along the coast but, for the most part, was kept at bay compared to what earlier reports suggested.