CHARLESTON, S.C., (Reuters) – Cyclone Andrea made its way up the U.S. East Coast yesterday, dumping rains from the Carolinas to as far north as New England and delaying hundreds of flights.
Andrea shed its tropical characteristics but still remained a threatening storm with heavy rain and high winds, prompting flood warnings in coastal areas across the Eastern Seaboard.
The storm’s center was located 55 miles (90 km) east-northeast of Raleigh, North Carolina, on Friday evening, the National Hurricane Center said.
The change in the classification of the storm to what forecasters call a post-tropical cyclone did not mean it was losing its strength, said John Cangialosi, a hurricane specialist at the Miami-based hurricane center. “It hasn’t weakened,” he said.
The storm still had winds of 45 miles per hour (75 kph), mainly offshore, and threatened to bring heavy rain and coastal flooding to those in its path. Alex Sosnowski, a senior meteorologist for AccuWeather Inc., said the storm could cause disruptive downpours around Washington, Baltimore, Philadelphia, New York and Boston.
