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Nor'easter Coastal Flooding and High Wind Threat From North Carolina to New England
Episode 264 • 24th September 2026 • EM Morning Brief • Brian Colburn
00:00:00 00:11:17

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I report that Tropical Storm Nolo is the day's dominant event, expected to become a hurricane tonight and possibly a major hurricane by the weekend. We warn that forecast rainfall of 15 to 20 inches across the Big Island, with localized amounts to 35 inches, could produce catastrophic, life‑threatening flooding and landslides. I note that state and county offices, public schools, and university campuses on Hawaii Island are closed and that the governor has requested a pre‑landfall Presidential Emergency Declaration. We also cover a powerful nor'easter impacting the U.S. East Coast with coastal flood warnings, high wind watches, and ocean overwash affecting the Outer Banks through New England. I summarize additional national alerts including CISA known exploited vulnerabilities with an imminent federal remediation deadline, and multiple flood, fire, and flash flood watches across several states. We advise listeners to follow local emergency guidance, limit nonessential travel, and prepare for significant water and wind impacts.

Takeaways:

  • I reported that Tropical Storm Nolo is forecast to intensify to hurricane strength, posing catastrophic life‑threatening flooding and landslide hazards on the Big Island with forecast rainfall of 15 to 20 inches and localized totals to 35 inches, which prompted closures of state and county facilities and a pre‑landfall Presidential Emergency Declaration request.
  • We detailed that a powerful nor'easter is producing coastal flood warnings and high wind watches from the North Carolina Outer Banks through New Jersey into eastern Massachusetts, with ocean overwash already closing segments of North Carolina Highway 12 and suspending ferry services, thereby degrading critical coastal transportation links.
  • I emphasized that CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog contains four entries with an exigent federal remediation deadline of September 25, and that federal civilian agencies are required to implement vendor mitigations under Binding Operational Directive 26‑04, necessitating immediate same‑day verification on state and local networks using the affected products.
  • We chronicled extensive state and local preparedness measures, including the opening of storm refuge areas and shuttle services in Hawaii County, the staging of transportation and heavy equipment assets across New York, and municipal flood mitigation and parking strategies in Norfolk, all indicative of a coordinated pre‑impact operational posture across multiple jurisdictions.

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Sources

Tropical Storm Nolo and Hawaii

Nor'easter, North Carolina

Nor'easter, Mid-Atlantic and Northeast

National Weather Service alerts

Wildfire

California, La Verne

Cyber

Tennessee

WSMV: Nashville airport ground delay

Transcripts

Cedric:

Good morning, I'm Cedric and this is your EM Morning Brief

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for Thursday, September 24, 2026.

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Tropical Storm Nolo is

the day's dominant event.

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The Central Pacific Hurricane Center

holds a Hurricane Watch for Hawaii

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County, with Nolo centered about 285

miles south of South Point and forecast

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to become a hurricane tonight and

possibly a major hurricane by the weekend.

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Forecast rainfall is 15 to 20

inches across the Big Island with

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localized amounts to 35 inches,

which the National Weather Service

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warns could produce catastrophic,

life-threatening flooding and landslides.

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Governor Josh Green has closed state

and county offices, public schools

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and University of Hawaii campuses on

Hawaii Island Thursday and Friday,

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expanding to Maui County on Friday,

and has submitted a pre-landfall

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Presidential Emergency Declaration

request covering all four counties

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at a 75 percent federal cost share.

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A powerful nor'easter is the second event.

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Coastal Flood Warnings run from the

North Carolina Outer Banks through

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Virginia, Maryland, Delaware and

the New Jersey shore, with High Wind

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Watches along the Jersey and Delaware

coasts and into eastern Massachusetts.

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Ocean overwash has already closed a

stretch of North Carolina Highway 12 and

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suspended the Hatteras to Ocracoke ferry.

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On the cyber side, CISA's Known

Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog

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carries four entries with a federal

remediation deadline of tomorrow,

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September 25: flaws in Arista

VeloCloud Orchestrator, F5 BIG-IP

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APM, and two in Check Point products.

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(Official update published

about 46 hours ago.)

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Federal civilian agencies must apply

vendor mitigations under Binding

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Operational Directive 26-04, and

the short fuse makes these worth a

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same-day check for state and local

networks running the same gear.

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Let's run through the states.

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California.

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The Dome Fire in Yosemite National Park

stands at 3,683 acres and 15 percent

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containment after growing 263 acres,

with 840 personnel assigned and moderate

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fire behavior including flanking,

uphill runs and single tree torching.

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Glacier Point Road closed at 6 p.m.

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Wednesday for reduced visibility

and firefighting operations, and

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Mariposa-Yosemite Airport is closed

to civilian traffic because of

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helicopter activity supporting the fire.

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In Los Angeles County, evacuation

orders and warnings affecting roughly

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500 homes remained in place Wednesday

around the Metropolitan Water District

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facility in La Verne, where a lithium-ion

battery storage unit re-entered thermal

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runaway a day after the initial fire.

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Fire Chief Brandon Coatney

reported internal temperatures

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spiking near 300 degrees.

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Grace Miller Elementary School was closed.

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A Red Flag Warning is up for Modoc County.

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Delaware.

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Coastal Flood Warnings cover the

Delaware beaches, Kent County

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and inland Sussex, paired with

a High Wind Watch for the coast.

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Delaware State Parks has closed all

dune crossings at Cape Henlopen,

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Delaware Seashore and Fenwick Island

State Parks until further notice, and

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Rehoboth Beach has asked residents to

stay off the beaches and suspend water

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activities, with city crews on standby.

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The Delaware River and Bay Authority

canceled Cape May to Lewes ferry

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departures Wednesday for high winds

and adverse sailing conditions.

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Hawaii.

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Hawaii County Mayor Kimo Alameda signed

an emergency proclamation Wednesday

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afternoon declaring a local state

of emergency, invoking emergency

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management powers over alerts,

warnings and evacuation authority under

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Hawaii Revised Statutes Chapter 127A.

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The proclamation notes the county is

still recovering from Hurricane Lala.

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County emergency management opened

four storm refuge areas at 6 p.m.

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Wednesday: Yano Hall in South Kona,

Naalehu Gym and Robert Herkes Gym in Kau,

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and the Keaau Armory in Puna, with free

shuttle service between the two Kau sites.

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Civil Defense is urging residents in

flood-prone areas to relocate before

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the heavy rain arrives, and South Hawaii

Island residents needing help can call

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211 for non-congregate sheltering.

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The Hawaii County Department of

Water Supply has asked customers to

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limit tap water to essential needs.

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A Flood Watch covers Hawaii Island and

Maui County, and the Hurricane Watch spans

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Kona, Kohala and the Big Island zones.

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Kansas.

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A Flash Flood Warning is in effect for

Greeley and Wichita counties, issued

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early Thursday by the Weather Service

in Goodland, with a separate Flood

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Warning covering Grant, Hamilton,

Kearny, Morton and Stanton counties

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in the southwest corner of the state.

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Maryland.

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Coastal Flood Warnings

cover Anne Arundel and St.

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Marys counties, the lower Eastern

Shore and the Maryland beaches.

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The Ocean City Beach Patrol issued

a high surf alert running through

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Thursday and restricted the water

for swimming, allowing only surfers

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with leashes and boogie boarders

with fins, citing a powerful shore

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break and strong rip currents.

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Massachusetts.

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The MBTA canceled Lynn and Quincy commuter

ferry service for rough seas and said more

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cancellations are expected this week, with

Hingham service under day-to-day review.

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A High Wind Watch and Coastal

Flood Watch cover Boston, the South

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Shore, Cape Cod and the islands.

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Scituate has installed its tide gates,

work the town does not normally do until

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later in the fall, and harbormasters

along the North and South shores are

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urging boat owners to pull vessels.

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We have more to cover this morning, but

first, a quick word from our sponsors.

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Thanks for supporting our sponsors who

help make EM Morning Brief possible.

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Now, back to this morning’s updates.

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Nevada.

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Fire Weather Watches issued by the

Weather Service in Reno cover northern

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Washoe County, the West Humboldt and

Lahontan basins, and the northern and

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southern Sierra Front, including Carson

City, Douglas, Storey and Lyon counties.

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New Jersey.

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Coastal Flood Warnings cover Cape

May, Atlantic and Ocean counties and

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southeastern Burlington County, with a

High Wind Watch for the coastal zones

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from Cape May to eastern Monmouth.

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The Cape May to Lewes ferry canceled

Wednesday sailings in both directions.

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New Mexico.

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A Flash Flood Warning covers

Eddy County alongside neighboring

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Culberson County, Texas.

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Flood Watches issued by the Weather

Service in Albuquerque extend across

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the Sangre de Cristo Mountains,

Glorieta Mesa, Chaves, De Baca, Lincoln,

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Quay, Curry and Roosevelt counties,

with a separate watch for Dona Ana

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County and the Sacramento Mountains.

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New York.

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Governor Kathy Hochul directed state

agencies to prepare and staged response

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assets ahead of the coastal storm.

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The Department of Transportation

has 3,389 supervisors and operators

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available statewide with nearly

1,400 large dump trucks, and about

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5,500 utility workers are on hand for

damage assessment and restoration.

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The State Watch Center is

monitoring the storm track.

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Parks staff reinforced the sand berm

protecting the Central Mall and boardwalk

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at Jones Beach and placed sandbags

around vulnerable oceanfront buildings.

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The MTA is inspecting drains

in flood-prone areas and is

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prepared to restrict empty

tractor-trailers during high winds.

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A Coastal Flood Watch covers

southern Nassau County.

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North Carolina.

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The Department of Transportation closed

North Carolina Highway 12 between

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the Marc Basnight Bridge and Rodanthe

Thursday morning after a dune breach

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near the Pea Island Visitor Center

sent ocean overwash across the road.

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NCDOT expects similar conditions over

the next several high tide cycles

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and has given no reopening estimate.

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The Ferry Division suspended the

Hatteras to Ocracoke route early

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Thursday with no estimated restart,

while Cedar Island and Swan Quarter

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service to Ocracoke continues.

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Dare County Transportation suspended

service south of the Basnight Bridge.

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Dare County Schools declared Thursday

a remote learning day for all schools

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and canceled afterschool activities,

citing forecast wind gusts near 50 miles

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per hour and overwash on Highway 12.

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Dare County Emergency Management

has posted double red flags and

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closed the ocean to swimming.

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Cape Hatteras National Seashore reports

overwash on east-facing beaches and is

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warning off-road drivers away from them.

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Coastal Flood Warnings cover

Hatteras and Ocracoke islands.

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Tennessee.

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The FAA issued a ground stop for

Nashville International Airport Wednesday

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afternoon, then converted it to a ground

delay program running into the evening

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with average delays near half an hour.

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The agency listed the cause only as other.

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Texas.

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A Flash Flood Warning covers Culberson

County, with Flood Watches across

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El Paso and Hudspeth counties

and the Guadalupe Mountains.

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The Weather Service in Houston issued

an Air Quality Alert Wednesday for

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Harris, Brazoria and Galveston counties.

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On the fire side, the Seven Fire

in Runnels County reached 480

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acres and 95 percent containment

with 60 personnel assigned.

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Virginia.

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Coastal Flood Warnings blanket Hampton

Roads and the Chesapeake Bay shoreline,

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including Virginia Beach, Norfolk,

Chesapeake, Portsmouth, Hampton, Newport

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News, Suffolk and the Eastern Shore

counties of Accomack and Northampton.

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Norfolk has closed the Nauticus

Swing Gate, Brooke Street Gate,

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Chesterfield Heights gates, Sedgwick

Street Gate and the Norfolk State

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University gate, with the Main Gate,

Town Point Park and World Trade Center

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gates closing Wednesday afternoon.

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The city implemented its Parking

Strategy for Flood Events, opening

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designated municipal lots and garages

plus Old Dominion University's

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43rd Street garage for residents

moving vehicles to higher ground.

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All storm water pump stations are

operational, waste collection shifts

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to a modified schedule Thursday, and

Hampton Boulevard near Surrey Crescent

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and Larchmont is impassable at high tide.

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The Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel

is advising drivers of potential

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travel restrictions through Friday.

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Dominion Energy outages across Hampton

Roads and the Outer Banks peaked near

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6,000 customers overnight into Wednesday

and fell below 1,000 by late afternoon.

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District of Columbia.

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The Weather Service in Baltimore and

Washington issued a Coastal Flood

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Advisory for the District early

Thursday morning, in effect until 9 a.m.

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Friday, as the same tidal

surge driving warnings down the

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Chesapeake pushes up the Potomac.

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That wraps today's EM Morning Brief.

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New episodes drop Monday through

Friday in the 5:00 AM hour P.T.,

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so the day starts with

clarity instead of catch-up.

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Follow on your favorite podcast player.

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EM Morning Brief is an EOC Voices Podcast.

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Stay Safe.

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