Tropical storm Ophelia makes landfall in North Carolina-صحيفة الصوت

Tropical storm Ophelia made landfall on the North Carolina coast early Saturday, lashing coastal areas with damaging winds and dangerous surges of water, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said.

Radar, hurricane-hunter aircraft and observers on the ground found that Ophelia’s centre came ashore at about 6:15 a.m. local time near Emerald Isle, with maximum sustained winds of 110 km/h, the hurricane centre said in an update.

That’s roughly 40 kilometres northwest of Cape Lookout, the centre said.

Life-threatening flooding caused by the weather system was forecast for parts of eastern North Carolina and southeastern Virginia, but the system was expected to weaken after landfall, the hurricane centre said.

Ophelia is expected to turn north on Saturday and then shift northeast on Sunday. The storm promised a weekend of windy conditions and heavy rain of up to 177 millimetres in parts of North Carolina and Virginia, and 50 to 100 millimetres in the rest of the mid-Atlantic region through Sunday.

A storm surge warning, indicating danger from rising water moving inland, was in effect from Bogue Inlet, N.C., to Chincoteague, Va. Surges between 1.2 and 1.8 metres were forecast in some areas, the hurricane centre said.

A tropical storm warning was issued from Cape Fear in North Carolina to Fenwick Island in Delaware. A hurricane watch was in effect in North Carolina for the area north of Surf City to Ocracoke Inlet, the centre reported.

3 governors declare state of emergency

The governors of North Carolina, Virginia and Maryland declared a state of emergency on Friday as some schools closed early and several weekend events were cancelled.

North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper issued his state’s emergency declaration, aiming to expedite preparations and help provide a swift response.

“The storm’s path has been difficult to predict, and we want to ensure that farmers, first responders and utility crews have the tools necessary to prepare for severe weather,” Cooper said.

The North Carolina Ferry System on Friday suspended service on all routes until conditions improve, officials said.

Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s executive order sought to ease response and recovery efforts.

“We want to ensure that all communities, particularly those with the greatest anticipated impact, have the resources they need to respond and recover from the effects of this storm,” Youngkin said, encouraging residents to prepare emergency kits and follow weather forecasts closely.

Maryland Gov. Wes Moore said in a statement Friday evening that the state expected an extended period of strong winds, heavy rainfall and elevated tides.

In Annapolis, Maryland’s capital, water taxi driver Scott Bierman said service would be closed on Saturday.

“We don’t operate when it’s going to endanger passengers and/or damage vessels,” he said.

In Washington, the Nationals baseball team postponed its Saturday game until Sunday.

Peak of hurricane season

It is not uncommon for one or two tropical storms, or even hurricanes, to form off the East Coast each year, National Hurricane Center director Michael Brennan said.

“We’re right at the peak of hurricane season, we can basically have storms form anywhere across much of the Atlantic basin,” Brennan said.

Scientists say climate change could result in hurricanes expanding their reach into mid-latitude regions more often, making storms like this month’s Hurricane Lee more common.

One study simulated tropical cyclone tracks from pre-industrial times, modern times and a future with higher emissions. It found that hurricanes would track closer to the coasts, including around Boston, New York and Virginia, and be more likely to form along the southeast coast.