Seaside Vacations

Forecast
The set up Wednesday through Friday is somewhat grim. The perfect ingredients for a strong nor’easter are forming along the OBX coast.

A strong high pressure system to the north of the area is pumping in strong winds. Mix in the remnants of Ida stalling out east of the Georgia coast and wind is pumping in from the north and the south.  It’s the perfect set up for a rather large, long nor’easter for the local area. Winds are expected to reach speeds of 40-50 mph.

This would be less of an issue if it lasted 10 or 12 hours; it would most likely only generate some minor tidal flooding and rain. But these systems are creating a much different scenario.  Forecasts have the pattern stalling out, bringing terrible conditions for 72 hours, leading to more significant coastal flooding, beach erosion and possibly causing some homes perched too close to the ocean to collapse.

Most coastal flooding will occur during high tide cycles and get increasingly worse Wednesday through Friday.

Video Updates

• Weather Channel
• Local Virginia Beach news – Wavy 10

What is a nor’easter?
A “nor’easter” is an intense low pressure area that forms in the winter along the east coast of the Unites States, producing strong northeasterly winds and sometimes heavy snowfall and rainfall. This is a favored region for winter storm formation, where the warm ocean water and airmass along the coast meets cold air pouring down out of Canada.

These storms often travel up along the coast, eventually affecting the entire eastern seaboard. Persistent strong winds with these storms can cause beach erosion and damage to houses along the coast from large waves and high water levels that result from the ocean water being piled up against the coast by the wind. The nor’easter is usually followed by unusually cold weather as the cold high pressure area that helped create the strong winds moves into the region.

Interesting facts:
THE PERFECT STORM – The movie “Perfect Storm” was based upon the true story of a swordfishing boat, the Andrea Gail, that was caught in an intense nor’easter in October 1991.