EMERALD ISLE, N.C. – Post-Tropical Cyclone Ophelia made landfall in North Carolina early Saturday morning as a strong tropical storm, battering the mid-Atlantic states with ferocious winds, heavy rain and a dangerous storm surge that led to widespread flooding across the region.
Ophelia made landfall near Emerald Isle around 6:15 a.m. Saturday with maximum sustained winds of about 70 mph – just shy of reaching hurricane strength.
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However, Ophelia’s impacts reached far beyond the storm’s center, with Tropical Storm Warnings at one point covering 7 million Americans along the East Coast.
Ophelia has since been downgraded to a post-tropical cyclone, but that doesn’t mean the impacts from the storm will necessarily lessen.
Lingering effects from Ophelia will continue in the mid-Atlantic on Sunday, but the brunt of the storm is now expected to slam into the Northeast and New England, where more heavy rain, strong winds and flooding are likely.
The fierce winds also caused more than 70,000 power outages during the height of the storm. Crews have been out in full force working to restore power, and data from PowerOutage.us shows most people have been brought back online.
Coastal communities from the Carolinas to New Jersey were flooded as Ophelia spun across the region, with the U.S. Coast Guard announcing it rescued five people on Friday from an anchored catamaran in Cape Lookout, North Carolina.
The Coast Guard said the group, which included three children, were on the moored vessel when the conditions on the water became dangerous.
Seas were reported to be about 6 to 8 feet, and winds were blowing just below tropical storm force when the rescue occurred.
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Despite pleas from first responders to stay home during the storm, some drivers who decided to venture out found themselves in need of help after getting vehicles stuck in floodwaters.
At least one driver in Stone Harbor, New Jersey, needed help after getting stuck, and video from the area showed the roadway covered with water and high-water vehicles assisting during the rescue.
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The National Hurricane Center has passed forecast updates on Ophelia over to NOAA’s Weather Prediction Center, which says the remnants from the once-tropical storm are expected to continue north along the Interstate 95 corridor through the start of the new workweek, spreading heavy rain and strong winds from Washington into Philadelphia; New York City; Hartford, Connecticut; Providence, Rhode Island; and Boston.
Most areas seeing the effects from Ophelia in the Northeast and New England can expect to see an additional 1 to 2 inches of rain through the start of the workweek.
However, higher amounts between 2 and 3 inches are possible in parts of New York’s Hudson Valley and central Connecticut.
These are areas that don’t really need the extra rain as the ground is already saturated from a wet and stormy summer. Hartford, for example, is seeing rain totals nearly a foot above average for this time of year.
Flooding is likely from New Jersey and eastern Pennsylvania through the New York City tri-state area and across Connecticut. As what’s left of Ophelia continues to move to the northeast, flooding is still possible in places like Maryland, Rhode Island and Massachusetts.