The quick-forming storm will bring heavy rain, strong winds and a coastal surge to the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast.
A developing tropical or subtropical storm, which will earn the name Ophelia, is set to drench the East Coast this weekend, bringing heavy rain in addition to strong gusty winds, rough surf and coastal flooding. Tropical storm warnings are in effect from Cape Fear, N.C., to the Delaware-Maryland border on the Delmarva Peninsula, with storm surge warnings blanketing a similar area.
Considering that 39 mph is the threshold for a tropical cyclone earning a name, you might be wondering why it hasn’t been officially classified as Ophelia yet. It’s because the system remains nontropical in nature. It initially formed as a wave of low pressure on a front through mid-latitude processes.That’s slowly changing, though. The system is beginning to fire thunderstorm activity near its center as it draws energy from the warm waters of the Gulf Stream.
North of the storm’s center, winds from the east will also pile water against the coastline, causing a significant tidal surge or rise in ocean water above normally dry land in coastal areas.Along the Delmarva Peninsula, major coastal flooding and a 3 to 4 foot storm surge is expected. At Bowers Beach on the Murderkill River, for example, the forecast is for flood stage to reach 8.7 feet, which would narrowly eclipse the all-time record.
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