Tropical storm warnings have been issued for areas along the East Coast, and the National Hurricane Center (NHC) warned of heavy rainfall starting Friday and continuing through Sunday. The maximum sustained winds reached 35 mph, as of 11 a.m. on Thursday, but the storm system is expected to strengthen into a tropical storm within the next day or two. A storm system with maximum sustained winds of 39 mph to 73 mph qualifies as a tropical storm.
Tropical storm warnings have been issued for areas along the East Coast — from Cape Fear, N.C., to Fenwick Island, Del., including Albemarle Sound, Pamlico Sound and the southern portion of Chesapeake Bay. The NHC is warning of storm surges reaching up to 4 feet in some areas.
“The combination of a dangerous storm surge and the tide will cause normally dry areas near the coast to be flooded by rising waters moving inland from the shoreline,” the NHC wrote in its advisory. The tropical storm conditions are expected to reach North Carolina late Friday night, the NHC warned, and continue into the weekend.
The storm system will also likely bring heavy rainfall, which “may produce localized urban and small stream flooding impacts.” Mid-Atlantic states from North Carolina to New Jersey will see 2 to 4 inches of rainfall, with localized amounts of 6 inches, the NHC wrote.
Source: THE HILL