Tracking more rain, wind and tidal flooding, along with the tropics….Stay VIPIReady! All eyes are on Hurricane Joaquin in the tropics. But before the storm approaches our coast, we’ll have to dodge a lot of rain across the area. This is all courtesy of a front that’s stalled out. Areas of low pressure will ride along the front, giving way to periods of rain. Some of the rain could be heavy at times, especially into Friday.
A Flood Watch has been issued for much of Hampton Roads through Saturday evening. Several communities could see several inches of rain – in some areas between 4 and 5 inches or higher through Friday. And when you combine strong NE winds and higher than normal tides, it could cause some major flooding over the area. Rain will become a bit more scattered heading into Saturday and Sunday. Still, with strong NE winds, tidal flooding will be a problem through the weekend.
Now, let’s talk about Joaquin. The storm has gained a lot of strength over the course of the day. Please keep in mind that there is a lot that can still happen between now and when the storm is expected near or off our coast. However, we will likely see some impact with strong NE winds, tidal flooding and possibly bands of rain, on top of the rain we’ve already seen. We’ll continue tracking Joaquin for you over the next several days.
Tonight: Cloudy. Scattered Showers (50%). Breezy. Low temperatures in the mid 60s. Winds: NE 20-25+ mph.
Friday: Cloudy. Rain Likely (100%). Breezy. High temperatures in the upper 60s and lower 70s. Winds: NE 20-30+ mph.
Saturday: Mostly Cloudy. Scattered Showers (50%). Breezy. High temperatures in the low to mid 70s. Winds: NE 15-25+ mph.
Tropical Update
Hurricane Joaquin is a major Category 4 storm, churning over the Bahamas. Sustained winds are near 130 mph with higher gusts. Hurricane force winds extend outward up to 45 miles from the center and tropical storm force winds extend outward up to 175 miles from the center. Joaquin is centered about 70 miles south of San Salvador and moving slowly SW at 6 mph. This storm will continue drifting slowly southwest tonight over portions of the Bahamas. A turn toward the north and an increase in forward speed is expected Friday night into Saturday. Joaquin will continue north through the weekend and approach the NC/VA coast on Sunday into Monday. Joaquin will weaken slightly as it moves north this weekend.
5:00 PM EDT Thu Oct 1
Location: 23.0°N 74.4°W
Moving: SW at 6 mph
Min pressure: 936 mb
Max sustained: 130 mph
Weather & Health for Friday
Pollen: Low (Ragweed, Grasses)
UV Index: 2 (Low)
Air Quality: Good (Code Green)
Mosquitoes: Very High
Today in Weather History (NWS Wakefield)
1929 Heavy Rain: 4.75″ Norfolk
2010 Heavy Rain 3 day Event Ends over SE VA & NC. Rain totals 7 – 12 inches.
Dominic Brown
Meteorologist
WTKR-TV NewsChannel 3
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