A new storm or potent nor’easter will likely develop due to a dip in the jet stream, according to AccuWeather meteorologists.
Offshore, Hurricane Melissa is expected to grow to a Category 4 or Category 5 hurricane and will make landfall in Jamaica, bringing a foot or more of rain.
The Caribbean, Bahamas, Cuba and Puerto Rico may also deal with “catastrophic” conditions, experts say.
“Melissa is evolving into a slow-motion disaster. Millions of people are at risk of catastrophic impacts,” said Alex DaSilva, AccuWeather lead hurricane expert. “We are increasingly concerned about the threat of a humanitarian disaster unfolding.”
In a couple of worst-case scenarios, the jet stream dip could bring Melissa close to the northeastern U.S. coast.
Even if it doesn’t reach the U.S. mainland, its impact offshore, combined with the coastal storm, may bring gusty winds, rough surf, erosion and coastal flooding to the East coast late next week.
“At this time, the odds of direct rain and wind impacts from Melissa reaching the U.S. East coast are low,” said DaSilva. “However, there are scenarios that could bring Melissa closer to South Florida and at the very least, some indirect impacts from Melissa are anticipated, not only in South Florida but well to the north along the Atlantic coast.
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Melissa could wash away sand from beaches already hit hard by tropical storms and hurricanes earlier this year. The recent unnamed tropical storm is estimated to have caused $3 billion in damage and economic losses.
“The impacts will be felt at U.S. beaches hundreds of miles away as the storm moves over the western Atlantic,” DaSilva said. “This has been a challenging year for beach erosion along the East coast.”
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Crystal Graham
