People on the East Coast, including those in Virginia Beach, are breathing a huge sigh of relief after Tropical Storm Imelda’s track is headed offshore.
That doesn’t mean there will be no impact in the U.S., but it does mean there will be less than initially feared.
Imelda will become the next Atlantic hurricane according to AccuWeather, and it could bring drenching downpours, gusty thunderstorms and flooding to parts of the southeastern U.S. coast, from Florida to North Carolina and southern Virginia.
Four to eight inches of rain will likely fall along the South and North Carolina coasts, according to AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Reneé Duff.
Lighter rain is likely inland over the Carolinas and in southeastern Georgia. Localizing flooding is possible in Charleston, Myrtle Beach, Wilmington and Cape Hatteras.
A storm surge of one to three feet is possible in southeastern Virginia.
Near the N.C. border in Virginia, rainfall will range from half an inch to one inch. In the northern half of the state, little to no rain is expected, according to Tom Kines, AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist.
The rain could bring an end to areas where there have been drought concerns due to an unusually dry August and September.
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Wind gusts along the Atlantic coast could reach 60 miles per hour, according to AccuWeather.
Strong rip currents are also likely at Atlantic beaches, and the wave action could cause damage to the shore.
In Virginia, rough surf and rip currents are likely, Kines told AFP.
The change in direction is due in part to a powerful hurricane, Humberto, and a southward push of dry air pulling the storm away from the coastline. Humberto will track west of Bermuda; it has peaked at 160 miles per hour, a Category 5 hurricane.
AccuWeather meteorologists compared this dynamic to a similar scenario in 2016 when hurricanes Matthew and Nicole were within several hundred miles of each other. One key difference, however, is that Matthew was considerably stronger than Imelda.
Virginia drought conditions
A drought watch advisory was issued last week for 28 counties in Virginia including the Shenandoah Valley. The Virginia Department of Environmental Quality, in coordination with the Virginia Drought Monitoring Task Force, issued the advisory for:
- Shenandoah: Augusta, Clarke, Frederick, Page, Rockingham, Shenandoah and Warren counties
- Northern Virginia: Arlington, Fairfax, Fauquier, Loudoun and Prince William counties
- Roanoke River: Bedford, Campbell, Charlotte, Franklin, Patrick, Halifax, Henry, Mecklenburg, Pittsylvania and Roanoke counties
- Upper James: Alleghany, Bath, Craig, Botetourt, Highland and Rockbridge counties
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Crystal Graham
