Topline
Tropical Storm Ophelia made landfall Saturday morning in North Carolina, the latest in a series of Atlantic storms causing widespread flooding and power outages throughout coastal areas of the Mid-Atlantic, and bringing heavy rain and wind gusts as far north as New York and New England.
Tropical Storm Ophelia brought heavy rain to Wilmington, North Carolina on Saturday, and is … [+]
Key Facts
Tropical Storm Ophelia packs 50 mph maximum sustained winds, bringing “danger of life-threatening storm surge inundation” in parts of eastern North Carolina and Virginia, as well as “considerable” flash flooding throughout the Mid-Atlantic, according to the National Hurricane Center.
The storm is also expected to bring heavy rain and wind gusts as far north as southern New England, as well as “life-threatening surf and rip currents.”
Ophelia strengthened throughout the week into a tropical storm with peak winds on Friday reaching 60 mph as it barreled toward the East Coast, prompting hurricane watches in coastal areas of North Carolina.
Storm surge and tropical storm warnings are in effect throughout the day Saturday in eastern North Carolina and Virginia, as well as the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay, while coastal flood warnings are in effect in Delaware, eastern Maryland and southern New Jersey.
AccuWeather meteorologists also expect Ophelia to leave residents throughout the Mid-Atlantic without power as the tropical storm continues moving northward, bringing heavy rain to Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York and New England.
Satellite imagery from NOAA shows Tropical Storm Ophelia making landfall in North Carolina.
Big Number
40,500. That’s how many homes and businesses are without power in North Carolina as of noon on Saturday, with another 13,600 lacking power in Virginia and 2,900 in Maryland, according to outage tracker PowerOutage.us.
What To Watch For
Forecasters with the National Hurricane Center are also monitoring a tropical depression roughly 1,000 miles east of the Leeward Islands, which is projected to intensify into a tropical storm as it moves eastward, before turning north over a remote section of the Atlantic, southeast of Bermuda.
Further Reading
Ophelia Strengthens: Hurricane Watch Issued For N.C. Coast As Large Storm Nears East Coast (Forbes)
Tropical Storm Ophelia Forms Off North Carolina, With Tropical Storm Warnings Along East Coast (Forbes)
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/brianbushard/2023/09/23/north-carolina-battered-by-ophelia-with-flooding-and-power-outages-photos/