This Thursday, Sept. 21, 2023, satellite image provided by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration shows a potential tropical cyclone forming off the U.S. southeastern coast.
NOAA via AP
Updated September 22, 2023 at 7:14 PM ET
Tropical storm Ophelia has strengthened ahead of its expected arrival on the coast of North Carolina on Friday night, pushing out near-hurricane force winds. The storm is forecast to bring high gusts, coastal flooding and life-threatening rip currents northward to New Jersey over the weekend.
After the storm's maximum sustained winds increased to almost 70 mph with higher gusts, the National Hurricane Center issued a hurricane watch from north of Surf City to Ocracoke Inlet in North Carolina.
The bright side: Little change in strength is forecast before the storm's landfall through the rest of the weekend.
A tropical storm warning remains in effect from Cape Fear, N.C., to Fenwick Island, Del. This includes Albemarle and Pamlico sounds in North Carolina, the Tidal Potomac River south of Cobb Island, Md., and Chesapeake Bay south of North Beach, Md. The region stretching from Surf City to Bogue Inlet in North Carolina, and the remainder of Pamlico and Albemarle Sounds, were under a storm surge watch. A storm surge warning was also in effect from just north of Wilmington, N.C., to Chincoteague, Va., south of the Delaware line.
Between 3 to 5 inches of rainfall is expected across North Carolina and Virginia into Saturday, with as much as 7 inches falling in some areas. The Mid-Atlantic into southern New England, is forecast to get 2 to 4 inches of rainfall from late Friday into Sunday, which could create flash, urban and small stream flooding, forecasters said.
Floodwaters on the North Carolina coast could reach 6 feet
The swells generated by Ophelia are likely to cause life-threatening surf and rip current conditions across the Mid-Atlantic coastline.
Areas stretching from Surf City N.C., to Chincoteague, Va., could see flooding of 2 to 4 feet if the storm surge peaks along with high tide, forecasters said.
Flooding risks to coastal stretches hemmed in by the Outer Banks are of particular concern, with the Neuse and Bay Rivers and the Pamlico and Pungo Rivers expected to see floodwaters rise between 3 and 6 feet.
The surge could cause flooding of 2 to 4 feet in the lower Chesapeake Bay and 1 to 3 feet farther up the bay.
Floods are getting more frequent and severe in most of the U.S. because of more extreme precipitation and sea level rise from climate change.
A storm brewing off the southeastern U.S. coast is likely to strengthen over the next day or two as it hits North Carolina, forecasters said, posing flooding and other threats.
National Hurricane Center
The storm picked up speed as it was upgraded on Friday afternoon from a "Potential Tropical Cyclone 16," as the NHC terms it, to a tropical storm. As of Friday evening, Ophelia was moving 13 mph while about 120 miles southeast of Cape Fear.
As it continues plotting a northerly path, the NHC said the storm will move across eastern North Carolina, southeastern Virginia, and the Delmarva Peninsula on Saturday and Sunday.
A few tornadoes are possible Friday and Saturday in the mid-Atlantic states, the NHC said.
North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper and the state’s department of public safety urged residents across eastern and central portions of the state to be prepared for tropical weather over the next couple of days. Warning of the potential for downed trees, power outages and flooding, the officials also encouraged people to stay tuned to the latest weather forecasts.
"As tropical weather is threatening our state again, we are reminded of the importance of being prepared by having a family emergency plan and kit," Gov. Cooper said in a statement Thursday.
North Carolina Emergency Management director Will Ray said the department is prepared to provide needed resources.
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