Officials are bracing for the region?s first big deluge of the 2006 hurricane season, as Tropical Storm Ernesto was predicted to charge up the East Coast today and strike Maryland.
By the time it reaches here around midnight, forecasters expect Ernesto to have weakened into a tropical depression, with sustained winds around 30 mph and gusts up to 40 mph, said Luis Rosa, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service office in Sterling, Va.
Ernesto will likely bring 4 to 8 inches of rain across the state, taking until early Saturday to pass through, causing risks of flash flooding along creeks, streams and small rivers and the possibility of coastal flooding, said Rosa.
“That?s the main concern for the Baltimore region ? the flash flooding,” Rosa said. “We?re expecting waterlevels to rise about 2 feet above the normal high tides.”
The first surge is expected at 1 a.m. Friday, and a second high tide Saturday between 2 and 3 a.m., he said.
When Tropical Storm Isabel roared up the Chesapeake Bay in 2003, the storm surge swamped much of the Annapolis City Dock, Eastport neighborhoods and a large portion of Main Street after the water crested at 7.5 feet above flood stage.
City of Annapolis spokesman Ray Weaver said the city has 525 sandbags ready to deploy on the City Dock and on Second Avenue in Eastport, both areas prone to flooding during heavy rains.
“Right now, we?re expecting just a major rain event, but we can always make more sandbags,” Weaver said. “We?re just advising people to have their storm kits ready.”
The Maryland Emergency Management Agency planned to upgrade its operational status to “Level Two” Friday morning, bringing additional MEMA and Maryland National Guard staff to the state?s Joint Operations Center. With memories of June?s torrential rains still fresh, local emergency planners urged residents to avoid flooded roads and be prepared to evacuate low-lying areas.
Flooding concerns may be compounded by the possibility of tornadoes, especially if Ernesto continues to track westward over the mountains, forecasters said.
If Ernesto passes over the mountains of western Maryland, the storm could allow more warm, moist air to flow into the region and stir up even more rain and wind, Rosa said.
