As Hurricane Isaac churns towards New Orleans, residents along the Gulf Coast are hunkering down and preparing for what will likely be a mid-range Category 1 storm.
And while most models show Isaac moving up the center of the United States, WHQR’s Rachel Lewis Hilburn talked with Meteorologist Jerry Jackson about the indirect effects in Southeastern North Carolina.
The center of Isaac and any direct storm effects will stay far south and west of this area for the next few days at least, says WWAY Chief Meteorologist Jerry Jackson.
“But the problem is this is such a large system, the circulation extends far out beyond the center.”
And that’s where the indirect effects come in.
“Our heavy rain that we will see over the next couple of days is directly being triggered by a cold front, but the moisture is indirectly being brought to us courtesy of the flow around the tropical system Isaac.”
And that means we can expect to see intermittent showers and thunderstorms over the next several days, according to Jackson.
"They’ll come in waves. We may get 2-3 hours of good rainfall moving through then we may get a 3, 4, 5 hour break and more may come through. So it’ll be on-again, off-again and that pattern is going to continue at least through midday Thursday.”
Things could clear up by the weekend, but Meteorologist Jackson cautions that it’s still early, and a lot can change in a few days.
