Heavy rains expected from low pressure system; Tropical development possible
Wet weather is expected for the remainder of the work week as a low pressure system continues to lift along the coast with a possibility for tropical development, per a Wednesday morning update from the National Weather (NWS) Service Newport / Morehead City office.
Up to 4 inches of rain is forecast for the Outer Banks through Friday evening, and thunderstorms producing rainfall rates of 1-2 inches per hour are also possible over the next two days.
The low is expected to move northeast near or just offshore of the Outer Banks on Thursday, and then turn north-northeastward and move along the mid-Atlantic coast on Friday. Environmental conditions are expected to be conducive for development, and a tropical or subtropical cyclone is likely to form within the next couple of days.
The chance of the coastal low’s formation into a tropical storm or hurricane over the next 48 hours is 60%, and the formation chance through the next five days is 70%.
Regardless of development, the low is expected to produce locally heavy rainfall that could cause some flash flooding across portions of eastern North Carolina, the coastal mid-Atlantic, and southern New England during the next few days. Gusty winds are also possible along the Outer Banks through Thursday.
For more information on the local forecast, visit www.weather.gov/mhx for weather information, or the National Weather Service office in Newport / Morehead City’s Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/NWSMoreheadCity/.
