Tropical Storm Ophelia swirled across North Carolina after making landfall near Emerald Isle early Saturday, lashing eastern parts of the state with rain, damaging winds and dangerous surges of water.
Tropical Storm Ophelia swirled across North Carolina after making landfall near Emerald Isle early Saturday, lashing eastern parts of the state with rain, damaging winds and dangerous surges of water.
The storm came ashore with near-hurricane-strength winds of 70 mph (110 kph) at around 6:15 a.m. and was expected to weaken it turns north Saturday and then shifts northeast on Sunday, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said. Tens of thousands of homes and businesses were left without power across several eastern counties as of Saturday morning, according to poweroutage.us, which tracks utility reports.
Life-threatening flooding was forecast for parts of eastern North Carolina and southeastern Virginia. Moving at about 13 mph (21 kph), the storm promised a weekend of windy conditions and heavy rain up to 7 inches (18 centimeters) in parts of the two states, as well as 2 to 4 inches (5 to 10 centimeters) in the rest of the mid-Atlantic region through Sunday.
A storm surge warning, indicating danger from rising ocean water pushed inland by Ophelia, was in effect from Bogue Inlet, North Carolina, to Chincoteague, Virginia. Surges between 4 and 6 feet (1.2 and 1.8 meters) were forecast in some areas. A tropical storm warning was issued from Cape Fear, North Carolina, to Fenwick Island, Delaware.
