RICHMOND, Va. -- Tropical Storm Ophelia made landfall near Emerald Isle, North Carolina, by daybreak Saturday with winds of 70 mph.
The storm will track through Virginia Saturday afternoon into Saturday night.
Ophelia will impact Virginia in three main areas: rainfall, strong winds, and coastal storm surge/flooding.
Periods of moderate to heavy rainfall will continue through Saturday. There will be some occasional lulls or breaks at times.
The storm will move near or just east of Richmond, and will then track through Maryland.
Rain will exit from south to north across our area.
Rainfall totals will exceed two inches in most locations, with some areas receiving over five inches. The higher likelihood of that will be in eastern and southeastern VA. A flood watch is in effect for our entire viewing area.
As Ophelia approaches, wind speeds will increase. Gusts may exceed 40 mph, especially near at the coast.
The storm will also produce a storm surge, which is a wave of water that is pushed ashore. This is on top of the normal water and tide levels. The surge expected will be two to four feet, so moderate to major flooding is possible.
Eastern Virginia is under both tropical storm warnings and storm surge warnings.
Conditions will improve across the region Saturday night into Sunday morning, with drier weather and decreasing winds during Sunday.
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