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Tropical Storm Claudette was downgraded to tropical depression after hitting the southeast over the weekend. Heavy rain, high winds and flash floods contributed to the deaths of 12 people in Alabama on Saturday, and as the storm weakened, it is expected to regain strength as it makes its way toward the East Coast.
Currently, wind speeds are still relatively low, with a peak around 30 mph. But Claudette is expected to intensify, regain strength, and reach tropical storm status late Sunday or early Monday morning. Tropical storms are expected along parts of the North Carolina coast, and a tropical storm is underway in northeastern South Carolina.
The National Hurricane Center advises residents in southern Georgia, northern Florida and the Carolinas to prepare for heavy rain and flooding — and possibly hurricanes — until Monday morning. The storm is expected to bring up to 6 inches of rain to parts of the Southeast. Rising water levels are an even greater threat. Storm surge levels can reach 3 feet as winds force water away from the storm.
Wreckage along a creek and road in Northport, Ala. Tropical Storm Claudette battered parts of the southeastern United States on Saturday before descending into a tropical depression. Vasha Hunt / AP Hide Caption
Toggle the caption Vasha Hunt / AP
Wreckage along a creek and road in Northport, Ala. Tropical Storm Claudette battered parts of the southeastern United States on Saturday before descending into a tropical depression.
Vasha Hunt / AFP
“As Claudette’s large circulation moves off the southeast coast of the United States later today and night, winds will increase along the coast and offshore, and the system is expected to regain tropical storm status by Monday morning,” NHC said. “Additional reconsolidation is expected on Monday and Monday evening as the hurricane moves over warm waters in the Gulf Stream.”
Claudette grew up in the Gulf of Mexico last week before making landfall on Saturday. Some areas saw more than a foot of rain as the storm hit the area on Saturday.
A 15-vehicle crash south of Montgomery, Ala., on Saturday left 10 people dead, including nine children, the Associated Press reported. In a separate incident, a 24-year-old man and a 3-year-old boy were killed outside Tuscaloosa when a tree fell on their home.
NHC expects the storm to become a post-tropical cyclone by late Tuesday as it makes its way out to sea. Claudette is the third named storm of the year for the Atlantic hurricane season, which traditionally runs from June 1 through the end of November. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration expects an above-average hurricane season for 2021, with a possible 13-20 named storms.
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