Tropical Storm Ernesto makes landfall in the USA once again by Laura Gilchrist
At around 4.30 am UK time on Friday, Tropical Storm Ernesto made landfall on US soil for the second time this week. The cyclone came ashore near Long Beach in North Carolina with steady wind speeds near 70 miles per hour (112 km/h), making it very close to – but not quite – hurricane strength.
Ernesto is now forecast to slow down and gradually weaken, but will still threaten eastern parts of the US with torrential rain and flooding. Rainfall total of 12 to 25 cm (5 to 10 inches) are expected from the Carolinas northwards, and isolated areas could see as much as 38 cm (15 in) as Ernesto heads towards the Great Lakes region by Sunday.
There are three other tropical cyclones currently active around the world, but only one of those is threatening land. Super Typhoon Ioke is now back out in the open Northwest Pacific Ocean after passing Wake Island on Thursday, and Hurricane Kristy is also in open water in the East Pacific. Elsewhere in the East Pacific however, Hurricane John is heading for southern Baja California in western Mexico.
John is expected to make landfall on the southern tip of the Baja peninsula late on Friday night, as a strong Category 2 storm on the Saffir-Simpson scale. Voluntary evacuations have taken place from the areas in danger, both by the local residents and by tourists holidaying in the region’s resorts.
Heavy rains and strong winds have already affected Mexico’s coastline as Hurricane John tracked northwestwards, but a further 15 to 25 cm (6 to 10 in) of rain with isolated totals up to 45 cm (18 in) is expected in the southern Baja peninsula. Coastal flooding from the storm surge is also a threat, with water levels expected to reach about 1.5 metres (5 feet) above normal tide heights.
Hurricane John is expected to turn back out into the Pacific Ocean on Saturday, and gradually weaken as it passes over cooler waters.
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