A powerful storm is set to drench parts of the eastern US with heavy rain, gusty winds and coastal flooding on Friday and Saturday, with the Gulf Coast and Southeast to be hit hard by thunderstorms just a day after being inundated by multiple of tornadoes.
The local National Weather Service for Baltimore and Washington DC is calling the impending weather event, which hasn't been named, one of the biggest in up to 20 years. It has warned that Baltimore could be hit by four foot coastal tidal surges, with locals given sandbags to try and protect their properties from the anticipated floods.
'One of the biggest tidal flood events of the past 10-20 years (possibly since Hurricane Isabel at some locales), is expected Friday & Saturday. Those along tidal shores should get ready for exceptional tidal inundation!' the NWS tweeted Thursday. Isabel struck the area in 2003, which caused $945m of damage in Maryland and Washington and killed one person.
The agency reports that over 20 million people are currently under a weather alert, as two-to-four feet of coastal flooding is expected to hit Baltimore and the nation's capital, with parts of northern Virginia also under flood watch through Friday afternoon, according to the NWS.
Baltimore's Department of Transportation even distributed sandbags to city residents Friday morning through mid-afternoon, local news outlet WJZ-TV said.
Nearby Annapolis, which sits on the Atlantic coast, has already seen water levels rise, with one man filmed kayaking through a flooded parking lot.
Pictured: forecast for Friday and Saturday's powerful storm, set to drench parts of eastern US with heavy rain, winds and coastal flooding
The local National Weather Service for Baltimore and Washington DC is calling the impending flooding one of the biggest in over a decade in a tweet, pictured, posted Thursday
Pictured: Konrad Karandy of Annapolis, Md., puts sandbags in front of a restaurant in downtown Annapolis, Thursday, as the water from tidal flooding rises
A bicyclist trudges through knee-high flooding in downtown Annapolis on Friday. The city is anticipating potential historic flooding conditions in low-lying areas this Friday and Saturday
Businesses in the area could be seen placing sandbags Friday afternoon in an effort to protect their properties from flood damage.
Mission BBQ in Annapolis manager Konrad Karandy was one of those businesses who took advantage of the sandbags as he prepared for flooding and extreme weather conditions.
'We're prepping for the worst. My personal guess is four feet (of water), something like that,' Karandy told the news outlet.
The NSW claims that the last time weather conditions were this extreme was
