Tropical storm Ophelia projected path and timeline: How long will it impact the east coast?
Tropical storm Ophelia has made landfall on the east coast of the US. How long will the storm last and which states will be impacted?
Tropical storm Ophelia has made landfall on the east coast, bringing high wind and rain to states across the mid-Atlantic.
The first states to be impacted were North Carolina, from which the storm will travel north to Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, and the southern tip of New Jersey. The storm is likely to return to sea by Monday afternoon, but until then, the National Weather Service (NWS) has issued various warnings in areas that will be impacted over the weekend.
NWS issues storm surge and tropical storm warnings in North Carolina and Virginia
The NWS continues to have active warnings in areas across Delaware, North Carolina, and Virginia.
NWS Warnings, Saturday 12:30 p.m.
Storm surge warnings are active in:
- Ocracoke Inlet, North Carolina to Chincoteague, Virginia
- Chesapeake Bay south of Colonial Beach, Virginia
- The Neuse and Pamlico Rivers
- The Pamlico and Albemarle Sounds
Tropical storm warnings are active in:
- East of Cape Lookout, North Carolina to Fenwick Island, Delaware
- Albemarle and Pamlico Sounds
- Tidal Potomac south of Cobb Island
- Chesapeake Bay south of North Beach
What is a storm surge warning?
The NWS issues a storm surge warning when areas are under threat of “life-threatening inundation, from rising water moving inland from the coastline, during the next 36 hours in the indicated locations.” If an evacuation order is called by local officials, those in the affected areas should heed the warning and leave the area until it is deemed safe to return.
What is a tropical storm warning?
A tropical storm warning is issued by the NWS when a storm will make landfall with sustained maximum winds around 50 mph (85 km/h).
Flood warnings continue to be a life-threatening
In addition to storm surge, heavy rain could lead to flash floods from North Carolina to New Jersey, and those in these areas should keep up to date as authorities provide new information on the storm.
Eastern North Carolina and southeastern Virginia are expected to receive 3 to 8 inches of rain. The NWS forecasts that the remaining areas of the mid-Atlantic will see between 2 and 4 inches by Sunday, and on Monday, New York and southern New England could experience lighter rainfall anywhere between 1 to 3 inches.