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A tropical storm warning has been issued for portions of the North Carolina and mid-Atlantic coasts due to a building storm that will track near the coast until this weekend and bring strong winds, lots of rain, hazardous rip currents, and coastal flooding to places from Florida to New England

The National Hurricane Center has designated the region of low pressure, which it is calling Potential Tropical Cyclone 16, as having 35 mph winds off the east coast of Florida. The National Hurricane Center predicted that as it gets closer to the coast of North Carolina on Friday, it will intensify into a tropical storm. It may be given the names Ophelia or Philippe, depending on the time period.

From about south of Wilmington, North Carolina, to the Maryland-Delaware state line, a tropical storm warning was issued. As early as Friday, North Carolina could experience tropical storm-force winds, which would then move across the mid-Atlantic on Saturday.

Additionally, a storm surge warning was issued for a portion of the same coastline, with a potential surge of up to 4 feet from Surf City, North Carolina, to the Virginia Tidewater.

On Thursday, as the storm gradually coalesced, rain and storms began to develop over portions of Florida's northeast coast and far southeastern Georgia. Seas got worse due to increasing winds and other factors, but this weekend will be the storm's worst.

gloomy weekend weather brought on by storm along the East Coast
Numerous raindrops

Rain may start falling in certain areas of the Carolinas and Virginia on Friday as the coastal storm grows more structured. As it moves north throughout the weekend, rain will spread hundreds of miles from its center and soak areas of the mid-Atlantic during the day on Saturday and even parts of New England by Saturday night.

The places around the coast will continue to receive the majority of the rainfall, but inland regions will also experience stormy weather, which might thwart outdoor plans.

Far eastern North Carolina will likely receive 4 to 6 inches of rain, with the greatest risk for flooding. A considerably wider area of the eastern US, from central North Carolina to New Jersey and New York, could have two to four inches of rain on Saturday through Sunday. This weekend, 1 to 2 inches of rain may fall in Pennsylvania as well as southern New England. powerful winds On Friday, wind gusts of 30 to 40 mph are expected in coastal locations, with greater gusts possibly closer to the storm's center. The mid-Atlantic region is forecast to experience the heaviest winds on Friday for parts of the Carolinas and on Saturday for the remainder

The combination of these wind gusts and the soggy ground may cause trees to fall, resulting in property damage and power outages.

Coastal dangers

The storm will stir up treacherous waves as it moves north, increasing the risk of severe rip currents along much of the East Coast. The weather service issued a high danger for rip currents for portions of the shoreline from Florida to New Jersey as the weekend approached.

As the storm travels up the coast this weekend, coastal flooding is also a possibility for parts of North Carolina that extend northward into New Jersey. On Saturday, major to moderate flooding is expected in a number of locations around Delaware Bay and in the Virginia Tidewater as a result of the storm's powerful winds pushing water into rivers along the coast.

According to NOAA, multiple highways, homes, and businesses may be submerged in areas where significant flooding occurs.