Tropical Storm Ophelia Forms Near the South East United States

National Hurricane Center (NHC) – At 500 PM EDT (2100 UTC), the center of Tropical Storm Ophelia was located near latitude 32.9 North, longitude 76.3 West. Ophelia is moving toward the north-northwest near 13 mph (20 km/h). This general motion is expected to continue during the next day or so, followed by a slight turn…

STEPS

September 22, 2023

1–2 minutes

National Hurricane Center (NHC) – At 500 PM EDT (2100 UTC), the center of Tropical Storm Ophelia was located near latitude 32.9 North, longitude 76.3 West. Ophelia is moving toward the north-northwest near 13 mph (20 km/h).

This general motion is expected to continue during the next day or so, followed by a slight turn toward the north and north-northeast. On the forecast track, the center of Ophelia will approach the coast of North Carolina tonight, and then move across eastern North Carolina, southeastern Virginia, and the Delmarva Peninsula Saturday and Sunday.

Data from the Air Force Reserve Hurricane Hunters indicate that maximum sustained winds have increased to near 70 mph (110 km/h) with higher gusts. Little change in strength is forecast before landfall along the coast of North Carolina.

Weakening is expected after landfall through the rest of the weekend. Tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 275 miles (445 km) from the center.

A NOAA C-MAN station at Cape Lookout, North Carolina, recently reported a sustained wind of 46 mph (74 km/h) and a gust of 61 mph (98 km/h). The minimum central pressure based on dropsonde data is 986 mb (29.12 inches).