Tropical Storm Ophelia officially made landfall Saturday morning in North Carolina, but her winds and heavy rain threaten to wash out the entire weekend here in New York.
Forecasters expect between 2 and 3 inches of rainfall across the five boroughs from Ophelia between Saturday and Sunday. Coastal areas can also see rough surf that may cause minor flooding, according to Emergency Management. Strong rip currents are also expected, but the beaches are closed, so stay out of the water.
According to a weather alert from the city’s Emergency Management Department, New York can see sustained winds of 15 to 30 mph all weekend. The city, however, will be spared the worst of Ophelia’s bluster; she arrived in North Carolina with maximum sustained winds of 70 mph, and will weaken as she travels over land.
The strongest winds are expected to arrive in the New York area on Sunday morning.
Ophelia’s storm center will crawl through the mid-Atlantic this weekend before taking a turn to the east and weakening into a tropical depression, according to the National Hurricane Center’s forecast. Showers are expected to last in New York through Monday.
With heavy rain anticipated, the city’s Emergency Management department issued a travel advisory for this weekend and urges New Yorkers to avoid any flooded roadways. Clogged catch basins should also be immediately reported to 311.
And it may be quite a while before New York sees the sun again. The National Weather Service forecasts rain and cloudy skies through at least Tuesday, with high temperatures in the low to mid-60s — a chilly, dreary start to autumn, which also arrived early Saturday morning.
