Daily Forecast
9/23/2023
WEATHER SUMMARY: Tropical Storm Ophelia made landfall around 6:15 am on Saturday morning in Emerald Isle near hurricane strength with maximum sustained winds around 70 mph. Rain will continue through midday and still remain breezy. As the day goes on, conditions will gradually get better. Especially heading into the evening. Highs today will struggle to get out of the low to mid 70s with mostly cloudy skies and then warm into the low 80s Sunday and Monday with clouds and sunshine and dry weather.
***Tropical Storm Warning continues for Pender and New Hanover counties***
Today: Cloudy with scattered showers… especially in the morning. Gusty winds in the morning… diminishing slowly in the afternoon. High in the low to mid 70s. Winds west becoming southwest at 15-25 mph with occasional gusts to 35 mph… especially in the morning.
Tonight: Mostly cloudy skies early… then gradual clearing. Cooler low near 60.
Sunday: Mostly sunny skies. A much improved and nice day with highs in the low 80s.
TROPICAL WEATHER OUTLOOK:
TROPICAL STORM OPHELIA: Ophelia made landfall around 6:15 am Saturday morning in Emerald Isle. Ophelia is moving northwestward at 10 mph. Steady weakening is expected as it tracks inland. and winds should drop below tropical-storm-force in about a day or so. The system is forecast to become extratropical in the next 36 hours as it moves across portions of southeastern
Virginia and the Delmarva Peninsula tonight and Sunday.
Showers and thunderstorms associated with an area of low pressure located several hundred miles west of the Cabo Verde Islands have become better organized during the past few hours. Satellite-derived wind data is expected to arrive later this morning which should provide more information on if a well-defined surface circulation has also developed. Further development is expected and a tropical depression will likely form today. The system is forecast to move generally westward at 10 to 15 mph for the next few days, and then turn west-northwestward or northwestward starting Tuesday. Chance of development over the next 48 hours is near 90% and 1000% over the next 7 days.
Elsewhere… tropical cyclone formation is not expected over the next 7 days.
-Meteorologist Marion Caldwell
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