Hurricane Ida - 08/2021

[AmtrakBlue]

Amtrak Northeast @AmtrakNECAlerts
Service Advisory Update: Due to severe weather with significant rainfall along the Northeast Corridor, all service between Philadelphia (PHL) and Boston (BOS) with an initial departure before 12 noon on Thursday, Sept. 2 is cancelled. For more assistance, call 800-USA-RAIL

 

[jis]

Newark NJ received over 7" (almost 9" for the day) of rain yesterday of which 6.3" came down in less than three hours.

EWR train station apparently had a foot or two of water on the tracks. Newark Airport lowest floor was flooded under several feet of crystal clear rain water. This is where all the checked baggage delivery belts are located. So basically all operations were shut down.

All of New York Subway lines were suspended. Since then service has resumed in a limited way on several lines.

Metro North is shut down system wide except the Southeast to Wassaic diesel service. Looks like it may be a while before Amtrak service is restored to Albany.

LIRR is partly shut down, but most major lines have sporadic service.

NJT is completely shut down except for its Atlantic City Service from Philly, which is gingerly splish splashing through partially water covered tracks in 30th St. Station.

 

[NS VIA Fan]

We're starting to feel the effects of the remnants of Ida in the Maritimes now. Heaviest rain will be along New Brunswick's Bay of Fundy coast and through the Moncton area. VIA's 'Ocean' went through Moncton last evening....but there is no eastbound train today.

 

[jis]

Ida remnant is back upto Tropical Storm strength in terms of sustained wind speed. But it does not have a closed circulation anymore so is not designated as a tropical or post tropical storm.

Ida appears to be considerably over performing in the Northeast and the Maritime....

Meanwhile the developing monster Larry is expected to remain in mid Atlantic away from land as it curves right. MJO remains neutral in western Atlantic through early October at least.

 

[user 14106]

Entire NEC now closed for remainder of today as well as Springfield line and empire corridor between NYP and ALB. 91 and 97 will originate at Washington. 48 will turn as 49 at Albany - 448/449 will still run thru to Boston.

 

[jis]

This is pretty impressive ...

https://nyti.ms/2VdnCYK

 

[Trogdor]

Entire NEC now closed for remainder of today as well as Springfield line and empire corridor between NYP and ALB. 91 and 97 will originate at Washington. 48 will turn as 49 at Albany - 448/449 will still run thru to Boston.

Any info on 19/20 (e.g., WAS-ATL only)?

It would be interesting to see a long-distance train truncated at both ends due to the same storm.

 

[flitcraft]

On the BBC World Service, they had a item about a BBC staffer on an Amtrak train between Washington and New York that got stranded at about 8 pm in New Jersey--describing the sound of the rain pouring over the train as like being in a car wash. Finally at 2 am, they announced to the passengers that the train was returning to DC. Sounds like she was lucky they didn't get all the way to NYC, though--terrible situation there with flooding and loss of life.

 

[jis]

Idon't think anyone had expected there to be a continuous string of Flash Flood Emergency stretching from Delaware to Connecticut in addition to moving window of Tornado Warnings from South Jersey to Long Island. Apparently there was at least one EF-3 Tornado in NJ which in itself is unheard of.

In the Edison - Metuchen stretch of the NEC there was a one hour period in which it received more than 5" of rain in a single hour! Of course Newark was not that far behind clocking in an hour of 3+ inches. The tracks in EWR rail station were covered by almost two feet of water at one time.

 

[John819]

I would venture to say that after the tracks are cleared and inspected there will be residual effects throughout the Labor Day weekend as equipment and crews will be out of position.

 

[jis]

Even airlines are shutting down operations in Newark today... perhaps due to lack of availability of staff who cannot get to the airport.

https://thepointsguy.com/news/nyc-airports-flooded-what-to-do/

 

[Bob Dylan]

Idon't think anyone had expected there to be a continuous string of Flash Flood Emergency stretching from Delaware to Connecticut in addition to moving window of Tornado Warnings from South Jersey to Long Island. Apparently there was at least one EF-4 Tornado in NJ which in itself is unheard of.

In the Edison - Metuchen stretch of the NEC there was a one hour period in which it received more than 5" of rain in a single hour! Of course Newark was not that far behind clocking in an hour of 3+ inches. The tracks in EWR rail station were covered by almost two feet of water at one time.

My Nephew, who lives in Teaneck, and is an Electrician for the State of New Jersey, has been on duty since Tuesday night as crews try to assess damage and make emergency repairs wherever possible.

 

[PVD]

MNRR controls an important stretch of both ways out of NYC to the North, towards Albany, and towards Boston. They shut down. When they reopen, Amtrak can revisit the situation.

 

[jis]

MNRR controls an important stretch of both ways out of NYC to the North, towards Albany, and towards Boston. They shut down. When they reopen, Amtrak can revisit the situation.

There is significant damage towards Albany. Much less so towards Boston. But yeah, it is upto whenever MNRR gets things up and running. I am sure they are not sitting around twiddling their thumbs. They are at least as interested as Amtrak to get things up and running again.

 

[PVD]

Even airlines are shutting down operations in Newark today... perhaps due to lack of availability of staff who cannot get to the airport.

https://thepointsguy.com/news/nyc-airports-flooded-what-to-do/

I wouldn't be surprised if a bunch of flights that come in at night to be the first outs in the morning were cancelled or diverted also. Not sure if it's still the case, but they used to do a bunch of overnight maintenance at Newark, and I bet very little of that happened as well.

 

[jis]

I wouldn't be surprised if a bunch of flights that come in at night to be the first outs in the morning were cancelled or diverted also. Not sure if it's still the case, but they used to do a bunch of overnight maintenance at Newark, and I bet very little of that happened as well.

I think most flights coming to EWR (or trying to do so) last evening were diverted, or so I hear. EWR was a hot mess last evening including evacuation of the tower due to Tornado Warning, and then flooding of passenger facilities, and approach roads leading to the terminal ramps.

 

[PVD]

I heard on the news that JFK and Newark had ground stops, I don't remember what time that was. But anything that had already left, I'm sure was diverted. Teterboro, to the North of Newark had it runway under water this morning, they do a fair amount of business flights (not today)

 

[user 14106]

Looks like it may only be 97 now running out of WAS looks like 91 may have been canceled.

 

[Mystic River Dragon]

At least nine homes were destroyed by a tornado in Mullica Hill yesterday. That’s a small area—not even a designated town—in South Jersey, about 45 miles southwest of me.

We had the tornado warning in my town but were lucky and just got the thunderstorms and downpours.

It’s ironic that, after all the devastation yesterday, today's weather is the most beautiful it’s been in months—sunny and mid-70s, with a cool NNW breeze.

 

[user 14106]

Any info on 19/20 (e.g., WAS-ATL only)?

It would be interesting to see a long-distance train truncated at both ends due to the same storm.

They terminated 20 at WAS looks like it’s turning at WAS for 19. Looks like it will be running.

 

[Qapla]

Florida Power & Light

Sent 750 power workers to the NO area to help with the outage repairs

 

[Bob Dylan]

They terminated 20 at WAS looks like it’s turning at WAS for 19. Looks like it will be running.

But only to Atlanta if so!

 

[jis]

But only to Atlanta if so!

It is not everyday that a train is truncated at both ends of its run for the same Hurricane/TS/Depression!

 

[PVD]

At least nine homes were destroyed by a tornado in Mullica Hill yesterday. That’s a small area—not even a designated town—in South Jersey, about 45 miles southwest of me.

We had the tornado warning in my town but were lucky and just got the thunderstorms and downpours.

It’s ironic that, after all the devastation yesterday, today's weather is the most beautiful it’s been in months—sunny and mid-70s, with a cool NNW breeze.

I just watched a news report from there, and there were a bunch of other ones in other parts of NJ as well. Just saw a liven chopper shot of a house fire, but the streets in the area are so flooded, there is no way to get a fire truck in, in a while, it will b e gone.

 

[jis]

I just watched a news report from there, and there were a bunch of other ones in other parts of NJ as well. Just saw a liven chopper shot of a house fire, but the streets in the area are so flooded, there is no way to get a fire truck in, in a while, it will b e gone.

Yup. In Manville.