Powerful Tropical Storm Ophelia made landfall in North Carolina early Saturday morning at near-hurricane-force strength, lashing a large swath of the mid-Atlantic coast with blistering winds, heavy rains and dangerous storm surge.
The center of Ophelia made landfall at Emerald Isle about 6:15 a.m. ET with maximum winds of about 70 mph, falling just short of reaching hurricane status, according to the National Hurricane Center (NHC). However, Ophelia’s impacts stretch far beyond its storm center, with Tropical Storm Warnings covering 7 million along the eastern seaboard as the storm bore down on communities east of Interstate 95.
The NHC said an observation in Cape Lookout, North Carolina, recently reported sustained winds of 61 mph with a gust to 73 mph.
The fierce winds on the East Coast have caused over 50,000 power outages so far, and those numbers are expected to climb as the tropical storm-force gusts cause property damage and topple trees and power lines.
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Winds from Ophelia were still whipping up the North Carolina coast in Nags Head at landfall.
The NHC has forecast Ophelia to keep heading north-northeast over eastern North Carolina early Saturday morning. Ophelia is expected to maintain tropical storm strength and travel north along the coast of Virginia and Maryland into Sunday with wind gusts of 40 mph or more as the storm passes through.
In some places, a life-threatening storm surge is expected, causing major coastal flooding that will inundate communities near the coast.
Storm Surge Warnings in effect for several areas with surges anywhere between 1-6 feet forecast for parts of coastal North Carolina and Virginia. Spotters reported 3-4 feet of storm surge around Great Neck, North Carolina and some flooding was observed in downtown New Bern, according to National Weather Service storm reports. Conditions are expected to improve Sunday as the storm moves out.
States of emergency have been declared in North Carolina, Virginia and Maryland.
Virginia Beach was hit by heavy rain Friday night as Ophelia began to make its presence felt. The oceanfront community is expected to experience large waves, so extra personnel have been brought in to deal with any emergencies, city officials said. Some schools closed early around the Norfolk and Hampton Roads area as towns prepared for the storm’s arrival, and several weekend events were canceled.
To prepare for any potential disasters, high water vehicles and bucket trucks have been deployed in case of fallen trees. The governor of Virginia has urged residents to keep an emergency kit ready and keep a close eye on the weather forecast.
As much as 3-5 inches of rain is expected along and near the I-95 corridor stretching into the Northeast, with isolated areas up to 8 inches around eastern North Carolina and southeastern Virginia. This will likely lead to flash flooding in some places, especially right along the coast.
Storm chaser Oliver Knapton said conditions in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, were beginning to deteriorate quickly Saturday morning.
“When you’re between the buildings it’s bearable, but as soon as you step out into the open, all hell breaks loose,” he said on X, formerly known as Twitter, along with video showing the rain and fierce winds whipping.
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The system is predicted to weaken considerably by Sunday, but additional rain and squally weather will linger in the Northeast through the day.