Tropical trouble for Florida & East Coast?

It is another spectacular day here on the New Hampshire Seacoast, a little cooler than I like but nice nonetheless. Temperatures as with the rest of New England, Quebec and Ontario have come back down to reality, if not below normal from the high heat of this past weekend. Under clear skies, lows have dropped into the single digits in southern Quebec, and remained below 20C for highs. The nice weather is about to end for all of us as low pressure moves from the Great Lakes to the Middle Atlantic coast by Thursday. There it may deepen in response to a tropical system trying to get organized in the northeastern Gulf of Mexico. If the system develops it would be called Andrea. At this time rain is forecast for the weekend across our region, and it could be heavy at times. Flooding is a real threat in New England.We will know more in the next 24 hours.

In other weather news, the El Reno Oklahoma tornado that struck last Friday was upgraded to an EF-5 after ground data confirmed winds of 295 mph, the second highest ever recorded. Also the NWS noted the path was as wide as 2.5 miles, the largest in US history. The storm claimed at least 16 lives including 4 storm chasers.

Just one of the homes damaged after powerful winter storms in March on Plum Island. I took the photo yesterday while repairs were going on to other homes on the beach. (ValleyWX Photo)

Plum Island, Mass
I visited Plum Island on the northeast Massachusetts coast yesterday. It was the first time I had been since last fall and since the big Nor'Easters of this past March. The storms wiped out beach and dunes, destroying or severely damaging several homes on the Island, damage that is still very evident today. I viewed a beautiful but shortened and steep beach with cinder blocks in the surf and even a stereo unit. The damage set off a debate between home owners and the authorities as to how to protect some of the remaining homes that sit precariously on the edge of the surf. The island is stunning and home to Parker River National Wildlife Reserve. I can understand completely the desire to keep and protect your little corner of this place. We love coming here and I hope they can come to an agreement to help preserve the island and save their homes.