St. Mary’s County, MD — A tropical storm warning is in effect for St. Mary’s County. The storm is about 300 miles south of Washington DC or about 300 miles south of Annapolis MD with winds up to 90 mph moving northeast at 14 mph.
The center of Hurricane Dorian is expected to pass well southeast of Point Lookout MD today. However, hazardous impacts are expected to extend into Saint Mary’s County and the adjacent waters. Strong winds will spread onshore beginning this morning through this evening.
Onshore winds ahead of Dorian are expected to raise water levels along the shores of the Chesapeake Bay and lower tidal Potomac River. Minor tidal flooding is expected in some areas. Moderate tidal flooding of shoreline areas is possible on Saturday night. Although some rainfall is expected, flooding is not anticipated at this time.
POTENTIAL IMPACTS
* WIND:
Protect against hazardous wind having possible limited impacts across St. Mary`s County. Potential impacts in this area include:
– Damage to porches, awnings, carports, sheds, and unanchored mobile homes. Unsecured lightweight objects blown about.
– Many large tree limbs broken off. A few trees snapped or uprooted, but with greater numbers in places where trees are shallow rooted. Some fences and roadway signs blown over.
– A few roads impassable from debris, particularly within urban or heavily wooded places. Hazardous driving conditions on bridges and other elevated roadways.
– Scattered power and communications outages.
Elsewhere across Eastern West Virginia, Central and Western Maryland, Northern and Northwestern Virginia, and District of Columbia, little to no impact is anticipated.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS
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Assess the risk from wind and falling trees at your location. If you decide to move, relocate to a safer location nearby.
* OTHER PREPAREDNESS INFORMATION:
Now is the time to complete all preparations to protect life and property in accordance with your emergency plan. Ensure you are in a safe location before the onset of strong winds.
Keep cell phones well charged. Cell phone chargers for automobiles can be helpful, but be aware of your risk for deadly carbon monoxide poisoning if your car is left idling in a garage or other poorly ventilated area.
Closely monitor weather.gov, NOAA Weather radio or local news outlets for official storm information. Be ready to adapt to possible changes to the forecast. Ensure you have multiple ways to receive weather warnings.