Tropical Storm Ophelia will bring tropical storm conditions and heavy rain to North Carolina Friday and Saturday.
Tropical Storm Ophelia on Friday and Saturday will bring rain and storms to North Carolina. The storm is expected to make landfall Saturday morning along the N.C. coast.
Friday afternoon, Ophelia was 200 miles south of Cape Hatteras with maximum winds at 50 mph. Ophelia will bring tropical storm conditions and heavy rain to our coast. Locally, we will see rain, gusty winds and some storms.
Gov. Roy Cooper has declared a state of emergency for North Carolina. A WRAL Weather Alert Day starts Friday at 7 p.m. and lasts until 3 p.m. Saturday, when the biggest impacts will be felt.
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3:45 p.m.: At Wrightsville Beach water was already lashing up against the pier and big swells are hitting the shore.
Light, chilly rain was falling, but some surfers were still in the ocean — which is not recommended due to dangerous rip currents.
Wrightsville Beach Ocean Rescue told WRAL News they haven’t increased their staffing, saying decisions will be made depending on the impact and size of the storm.
“Without question, stay out of the ocean,» said Ocean Rescue Cpt. Sam Proffit. «[These are] very dangerous, pretty decent swells.»
Conditions at the coast and central N.C. will worsen throughout the evening.
3:30 p.m.: Power outages will be likely Friday night and Saturday. Spokesperson Jeff Brooks said Duke Energy is ready to send extra crews to the coast if needed.
«Tomorrow is going to be a busy day,» Brooks said on Friday. «Tonight could be busy, and our crews will be on standby to restore outages as they occur.»
Brooks said there is a chance for outages in the Triangle even though conditions will be worse in eastern North Carolina.
«We are looking at 25 to 35 mph winds gusts … 40 mph is right on the line for outage effects,» he said.
