NEW YORK – Philippe has transitioned to a post-tropical storm and is headed north toward New England, bringing heavy rain and strong winds that could trigger flash flooding and scattered power outages.
The storm has already spent much of Friday morning lashing Bermuda with heavy rain, strong rip currents and 40-mph winds.
As Phillipe pushes northward Friday, its next 48 hours will become a complex meteorological mess as the storm finishes transforming from tropical in nature to drawing energy from more traditional sources.
WHAT IS A POST TROPICAL CYCLONE?
The new form of Philippe will soon meet up with a cold front swinging into the Northeast from the west. Moisture from the two will combine to produce widespread soaking rain across the region this weekend.
“The front will bring its own moisture and wind energy with it,” said FOX Weather Hurricane Specialist Bryan Norcross. “The net result will be rain from the front along the I-95 corridor in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast (Saturday) into (Sunday), with heavier rain and stronger wind in New England (Saturday) into Sunday as the combo coastal storm and front meet.”
WHAT TO EXPECT IN TROPICS AS HURRICANE SEASON ENTERS OCTOBER
As much as 1-3 inches of rain is expected, with localized spots as high as 5 inches. This could lead to instances of flash flooding as most soil across New England and the Northeast are already saturated from a wet summer.
New York has already implemented their Flash Flood Emergency Plan as the flood risk increases for vulnerable areas. Cities such as New York City, which flooded last week amid record rains, could be spared from serious water issues, but it’s not a guarantee.
“There are spots that could flood out very easily because of basically the tipping point,” said FOX Weather Meteorologist Amy Freeze. “Plus, we’ve got a storm here that’s coming together with flows of moisture.”
According to the FOX Forecast Center, areas across Massachusetts and Connecticut will be especially sensitive to any heavy rain as they’ve seen 200-300% of their average rain the past two weeks.
“We’ve had 13 weekends since June 1 with rain in the Northeast, and here we go again,” Freeze added. “We’re looking at downpours all the way through New England, basically a washout of the weekend for the Northeast.”
Since Philippe is no longer a tropical system, the NHC said it will not be issuing Tropical Storm Watches or Warnings for the U.S. coastline, leaving warnings up to individual NWS offices. The NHC has ceased issuing forecast discussions and updated cone projections, as well.
Due to the jet stream dip mentioned earlier, the remnants of Philippe will become a stronger storm than it was as a tropical storm. This will result in a small area of powerful winds in Downeast Maine.
Wind gusts of 50-60 mph are expected Saturday night as the low passes through. As a result, some power outages may occur.
Prior to the two systems meeting up, the cold front will spark up showers and a few downpours itself Friday from upstate New York down through the southern Appalachians.