The first named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season smashed rainfall totals across the Northeast and pushed some streams and creeks over their banks but sped along the Eastern Seaboard without causing major damage.
The weakened storm is expected to reach Canadian waters today.
After bringing rain, strong winds and tornadoes to Florida, Andrea lost most of its tropical characteristics late Friday and early Saturday. But it brought record rainfall for the date to many cities and towns in the Northeast.
Andrea dumped 6.64 inches of rain on Gales Ferry, Conn. The 4.16 inches that fell on New York City’s Central Park was more than double the previous record for June 7, set in 1918. The 3.5 inches of rain that fell at Philadelphia International Airport doubled the 1.79 inches that fell in 1904. Newark, N.J., saw 3.71 inches, breaking the previous mark of 1.11 inches set in 1931.
Elsewhere, cars were submerged in floodwaters on Long Island, and about 50 residents were displaced by a rising stream in Chester, Pa. A retaining wall collapsed early Saturday in Manhattan’s Washington Heights neighborhood, sending an avalanche of rubble sliding into an apartment building and leaving three families homeless. The storm was blamed for one traffic-related death in Virginia.
Late Friday, the National Hurricane Center in Miami discontinued all tropical storm warnings but cautioned about possible coastal and localized flooding from New Jersey to New England.
Officials in the Mid-Atlantic region and Northeast had prepared for it Friday night. New York City activated its flash flooding plan, and heavy rainfall resulted in flash floods, causing some sections of roadways to be closed throughout Long Island.
A number of roads were flooded in the Boston area. A flight that left Boston on Friday night headed to West Palm Beach, Fla., was diverted to Newark Liberty International Airport after being struck by lightning. No one was injured.
In Florida, the weather service estimated that feeder bands from Andrea’s remnants dropped more than 9 inches of rain on eastern Miami-Dade County and more than 6 inches of rain on eastern Broward County on Friday.
About the Author
