Due to Tropical Storm Ophelia’s remnants, the Northeast will see one more day of damp, dreary weather before circumstances improve.
As tropical storm Ophelia approaches the Delaware coast late Saturday afternoon, Sept. 23, 2023, storm barriers work to keep water out of Hyatt Place’s below-street level parking garage in Dewey Beach. (Source: William Bretzger/Delaware News Journal/USA Today)
Persistent Rain Bought by Tropical Storm Ophelia Causes Flooding
Central Park, the National Weather Service’s official New York City recording location, has seen three days of rain, while the Northeast is on day five of poor weather. The Northeast is seeing widespread rain for hundreds of miles, but most of it is misty rain that won’t cause severe road or river concerns. The morning commute in western and central Pennsylvania was sluggish due to persistent rain. According to the FOX Forecast Centre, there will be little rain on Wednesday afternoon and evening. The bulk of rainy areas receive less than a half-inch. Wind could cause issues in the area. The sky is clouded. It’s a little damp. It’s tedious. Millions of people in the region want change, but they must wait. Winds of 20 to 30 miles per hour have been recorded in Montauk, New York, and Nantucket, Massachusetts.
The “big concern with some of these winds is going to be the fact that we have saturation of the ground,” FOX Weather meteorologist Jason Frazer said. “And with stronger wind gusts, we can see some trees falling today.” The Northeast and New England worry about coastal flooding. “This is an onshore wind, which means coastal flooding,” said Britta Merwin of FOX Weather. New Jersey, DE. This beach struggles with onshore breezes.” By Wednesday, sunshine will return to the Northeast and New England after days of rain.
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Power Outages and Floodwater Around
Tropical storm Ophelia hit Emerald Isle, North Carolina, early Saturday morning, causing floods and power outages from the mid-Atlantic to the Northeast. Later Saturday and Sunday, the storm moved inland. Ophelia inundated coastal areas, and the Coast Guard rescued five people from a moored catamaran near Cape Lookout, North Carolina, on Friday. The Coast Guard said the group, which included three youngsters, was on the moored yacht when water conditions got unsafe. The rescue occurred in 6–8-foot seas with winds just below tropical storm force.
Despite first responders’ advice to stay home, some cars who ventured out needed help after being caught in floodwaters. A driver in Stone Harbour, New Jersey, became stuck and required help. The video shows the route inundated with water and high-water vehicles helping. At its peak, the mid-Atlantic storm produced over 70,000 power interruptions due to severe winds. PowerOutage.us reveals most customers are back online after crews worked hard to restore electricity. Ophelia hit Emerald Isle at 6:15 a.m. Saturday with 70 mph sustained winds, well shy of hurricane intensity.
Sunday, North Carolina’s Department of Environmental Quality warned swimmers and surfers at Emerald Isle to stay out of the water because storm floodwaters are being poured into the ocean waves. Pumping floodwaters into the ocean was done to reduce damage and make emergency roadways accessible, officials said. “These waters can contain pollutants such as wildlife and pet waste, oil and gasoline from parking lots and septic system or sewer waste,” officials said in a news statement. Signs will notify the public of health dangers at ocean beach discharge areas, officials added.
Those alerts do not indicate disease-causing organisms in the water but indicate a higher risk of contamination and health problems. The signs will be removed 24 hours after pumping ceases, officials said.
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