Publication Date September 4, 2016 | The New York Times

Hermine Hovers Off East Coast, Threatening Flooding

United States
Chloe Riffle, 7, on a flooded street in Norfolk, Va., on Sunday. Photo: Vicki Cronis-Nohe/The Virginian-Pilot, via Associated Press
Chloe Riffle, 7, on a flooded street in Norfolk, Va., on Sunday. Photo: Vicki Cronis-Nohe/The Virginian-Pilot, via Associated Press

The powerful post-tropical cyclone Hermine lurked off the Eastern Seaboard on Sunday, menacing coastal communities in at least six states with the threat of floodwaters.

Although the storm was hundreds of miles from the shoreline, and becoming less of a threat after it moved farther east than first forecast, officials closed beaches, shut down roads and canceled Labor Day weekend concerts.

The National Hurricane Center said Sunday that the storm...was about 325 miles east-southeast of Ocean City, Md. — far at sea, but close enough to be pummeling coastal areas with heavy rains, riptides and storm surges of up to five feet.

...

Officials predicted that water could rise by as much as five feet above ground level in certain places between Chincoteague, Va., and Atlantic City.

...

The storm’s shift to a slow churn off the Mid-Atlantic coast followed its destructive and deadly march through Florida, Georgia and the Carolinas. Although officials in Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina reported mostly limited damage, Gov. Rick Scott of Florida described wider destruction and said the storm had caused some 300,000 customers to lose electricity