More flooding for the flooded

New Yorkers brave more rain as the remnants of Tropical Storm Lee move towards the northeast [Getty]

Tropical Storm Lee made landfall in coastal Louisiana over three days ago, but the effects of the storm are still being felt from the Gulf Coast to the northeastern region of the United States. More heavy rain is coming on the heels of last month’s Hurricane Irene, which brought historical flooding up the eastern seaboard.

Before even making landfall, Lee churned in the Gulf of Mexico and brought up chunks of tar from the sea floor, depositing them onto the coastal beaches. BP, the company responsible for last year’s old spill disaster, was quick to ready cleanup crews if the tested tar was verified to be from their drill sites.

While Lee weakened rapidly over the Gulf Coast, it did dump over 30 centimetres of rain on the below sea level city of New Orleans, putting the community’s water pumps to the test. For the rest of Louisiana, rain totals were less, and a welcome relief for the drought stricken state.

On Tuesday, 19 states from Alabama up to Maine issued flood watches and warnings as the remnants of Lee are expected to bring more heavy rain northeastward. While the heaviest rainfall totals are expected to reach across Pennsylvania, New Jersey and New York are bracing for a second wave of flooding. With the ground across the region still saturated from the rains of Irene, this new rain is expected to quickly accumulate and wreak havoc for the cleanup efforts that are ongoing.

While the approach of Irene last month brought the city of New York to a historical standstill, the rains from Lee stopped play for the US Open tennis tournament on Tuesday. Rounds are expected to resume on Wednesday, but more showers are forecasted over Flushing Meadows well into Thursday afternoon. Delays at the US Open could mean that is the fourth consecutive year when the tournament ends late, and the men’s final is not be played on Sunday as scheduled.