Deadly storm creeping toward New Jersey

  • 05/09/2016
A surfer rides his bike down Atlantic Boulevard as Storm Hermine passes through South Carolina (Reuters)
A surfer rides his bike down Atlantic Boulevard as Storm Hermine passes through South Carolina (Reuters)

Storm Hermine has churned off the US Middle Atlantic Coast, with forecasters projecting it may regain hurricane strength as it creeps north, spoiling the upcoming weekend with high winds, soaking rains and surging seas.

The storm, which claimed at least two lives in Florida and North Carolina, is expected to stall off the coast of New Jersey and other major population centres in the Northeast for several days, according to the National Hurricane Centre (NHC).

Authorities up and down the coast have ordered swimmers, surfers and boaters to stay out of treacherous waters during the holiday weekend, when many Americans celebrate the end of summer.

Overnight, the centre of the storm moved farther east and away from the coast than previously forecast, said Rick Knabb, director of the hurricane centre, in a webcast.

"That's good news, but this is not over yet because we still are forecasting it to slow down and meander generally northward ... We think it could become hurricane force again," Knabb said, as the storm was likely to strengthen as it moved over warm water.

Projections show the outer reaches of the storm could sweep the coastlines of Rhode Island or Massachusetts later in the week.

Accuweather.com forecast the strongest winds and heaviest rain would stay offshore much of Sunday, causing dangerous surf and coastal flooding.

People posted pictures of flooding and high tides from North Carolina to New York, showing streets that were torn up or under water, vacation homes that were flooded, and tourists flocking away from beach holidays.

Hermine was classified as a Category 1 hurricane until it lost strength while cutting across Florida and Georgia, packing sustained winds of up to 105km/h.

New Jersey Governor Chris Christie declared a state of emergency in three coastal counties of the state,.

Delaware Governor Jack Markell declared a limited state of emergency for Sussex County, which includes the coastal resorts of Bethany Beach and Rehoboth Beach.

"The most dangerous aspect of this storm is going to be at the beaches. If you stay out of the oceans, avoid the heavy surf and the rip currents and don't go boating in these heavy seas, you're probably going to be all right," Knabb said.

Hermine, the first hurricane to make landfall in Florida in 11 years, swept ashore on Friday near the town of St. Marks with winds of 129km/h, knocking out power for 300,000 Florida homes and businesses.

It left North Carolina with power outages, flooding, downed trees and power lines, while rain and tides brought flooding along Virginia's coast.

In the northern Florida town of Ocala, a falling tree killed a homeless man sleeping in his tent. In North Carolina, a tractor trailer overturned on a bridge over the Alligator River, killing the driver.

Reuters