Extreme weather in Northeast United States create travel chaos

Tuesday, March 12, 2024

The recent spate of extreme weather in the Northeast has resulted in a significant upheaval affecting travel, tourism, and daily life, particularly highlighting the vulnerability of coastal communities like Hampton Beach, New Hampshire.

On Monday, a staggering 62 million people found themselves under the grip of wind advisories and high wind warnings, a meteorological phenomenon stretching from the rugged terrains of western North Carolina to the rocky coasts of Maine.

This weather event brought with it winds sustained at 25 to 35 mph, peaking with gusts between 50 to 60 mph, significantly disrupting the I-95 corridor, a vital artery for road travel, and causing likely travel delays at major airport hubs including Washington-Baltimore, Philadelphia International, and the tri-state area’s Newark, LaGuardia, and John F. Kennedy airports, not to mention Boston Logan.

The implications of such high winds are far-reaching, affecting not just air travel but also raising the specter of downed trees and ensuing power outages across the eastern states.

This comes as the region is still grappling with the aftereffects of a storm system that earlier soaked the southeast and Mid-Atlantic, leading to the wettest start to March on record for cities from Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, to Providence, Rhode Island.

The persistent and heavy rainfall has swollen rivers, with over 80 river gauges reporting minor to moderate flood stages by mid-morning Monday.

Adding to the weather woes, the interior Northeast and New England were blanketed with light to moderate snow through Monday night, with winter storm warnings in place for areas including the northern Adirondacks, parts of Vermont, and northern New Hampshire. Snow totals were expected to range from 4 to 8 inches, with isolated areas receiving upwards of 10 inches.

Among the hardest hit by the weekend’s flooding was Hampton Beach, New Hampshire. The community, already recognized for its susceptibility to coastal flooding, faced its second significant flood event of 2024. Strong onshore winds exacerbated the situation, pushing water into the area, inundating homes, and rendering roads impassable. Such events underscore the ongoing challenges faced by coastal communities in the era of climate change, highlighting the need for resilient infrastructure and preparedness strategies to mitigate the impact of extreme weather. The disruptions to travel and tourism are but a facet of the broader challenges, underscoring the interconnectivity of natural phenomena with human activity and the urgent need for adaptive measures in response to our changing climate.

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