Powerful storms hit the US, Supreme Court Rejects Missouri Maps, Mortgage Rates Rise
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What are the expected impacts of Hurricane Nolo on Hawaii and the nor'easter on the East Coast?
Hawaii braces for potential flooding as Hurricane Nolo approaches.
At the same time, a powerful nor'easter gains strength, threatening dangerous conditions through the weekend.
I'm Aisha Roscoe.
And I'm Scott Simon, and this is Up First from NPR News.
So what can we expect from these two sets of storms? We'll have the latest.
Also, the U.S. Supreme Court rejects Missouri's congressional maps. Again, we'll tell you what this means for this year's midterm elections.
And the average 30-year home mortgage rate climbed above 7% this week. We'll tell you what's driving high borrowing costs.
So please stay with us. We've got the news you need to start your weekend.
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How is the early‑season nor'easter expected to affect flooding, wind, and power outages in New England?
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It's a weekend of wild weather in different parts of the country. In Hawaii, Hurricane Nolo approaches, the fourth storm to impact the state this year.
At the same time, the northeast and mid-Atlantic regions are hunkering down for a powerful storm that could bring heavy flooding and strong winds. NPR's Ava Berger has been covering this extreme weather and joins us now. Thanks for being with us. Hi, Scott. What can people expect from this nor'easter?
So millions of people across the East Coast are in the path of this storm. I've already been seeing these videos of huge waves crashing against the coastlines in New Jersey. It's flooding streets. We've seen big numbers of flights being canceled in the region. There's already power outages. Francis Tarasowicz is a meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Boston. He's expecting coastal flooding, heavy rain and really high winds this weekend.
Wind gusts along the coast will be between 50 and 60 miles per hour, paired with those fully-leaved trees as we are still in late September. We may see some instances of power outages across much of southern New England.
And we'll see impacts, Scott, from the mid-Atlantic all the way up through the coast of Maine. He said the worst of the storm is expected to hit areas in Massachusetts, Long Island, Connecticut.
Is it unusual to have a nor'easter in September?
It is unusual, but it has happened before.
Why is this September nor'easter considered unusual and what makes it meteorologically unique?
There's actually two interesting things about this storm that Tarazwitz pointed out.
Really, the unique feature of it is that it's A, long duration, and then B, it's quite early in the season.
So the storm is expected to last straight through the weekend, 48 hours. But we're actually not that far away from a normal nor'easter season, which is October through May.
And at the same time, out in the Pacific, we're seeing hurricanes near Hawaii. What's happening there?
Scientists are saying that these hurricanes are likely due to a powerful El Nino climate pattern. You may have heard it be called a super El Nino. This natural pattern, it occurs every few years. It tends to suppress hurricanes in the Atlantic while fueling more storms in the Pacific. Hawaii is bearing the brunt of this. And forecasters are saying that the big island could see up to 16 inches of rain.
And why is that?
So the El Nino makes the water in the eastern Pacific really hot. That warmer water can fuel hurricanes and turn them into these really powerful storms. Paul Roundy studies atmospheric science at the University at Albany. He says even scientists have been surprised at how big this El Nino is.
I have heard some sense of shock. I think, for one thing, people didn't really quite comprehend how strong this El Nino event was going to get.
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Chapters
7 chapters
1
What are the expected impacts of Hurricane Nolo on Hawaii and the nor'easter on the East Coast?
0:02–1:18
2
How is the early‑season nor'easter expected to affect flooding, wind, and power outages in New England?
1:18–2:56
3
Why is this September nor'easter considered unusual and what makes it meteorologically unique?
2:56–5:16
4
How is the current strong El Niño influencing Pacific hurricanes and the lack of Atlantic storms?
5:16–8:27
5
What did the Supreme Court decide about Missouri’s new congressional map and why does it matter for the midterms?
8:27–11:52
6
How will the Missouri redistricting decision affect voters and the national balance of House seats?
11:52–15:05
7
Why have 30‑year mortgage rates risen above 7 % and what does that mean for homebuyers and the economy?
15:05–15:48
Speakers
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