VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — Virginia Beach residents are reporting power outages and coastal flooding as the city gets a staggering 6.97 inches of rain in a day, according to city officials.
The coastal flooding and heavy rain are having widespread impacts across Hampton Roads on Tuesday. News 3's Chief Meteorologist David Aldrich says between 4-8 inches of rain has fallen in Virginia Beach and parts of Norfolk on Tuesday alone as of 6:30 p.m. Chesapeake got nearly 4 inches, and Portsmouth, Williamsburg, and Newport News had around 2.5 inches.
Watch related coverage: Coastal flooding impacts the Hague in Norfolk
Virginia Beach officials say they have experienced more rain than expected, as thousands of residents are without power.
"We understand the frustration and challenges this rain-induced flooding has caused for our community, especially in our low-lying areas," officials said.
The new Windsor Woods Tide Gate has five temporary pumps working to lower Lake Windsor, the city says. These pumps are not strong enough to deal with the impacts of heavy rain.
"For example, the recently installed Windsor Woods Tide Gate currently has five temporary pumps in place to help lower Lake Windsor. However, during heavy rain events like this, those pumps don’t have the full capacity needed. The City has a project underway to replace these temporary pumps with a permanent, larger pump station that will provide more protection in future storms," the city said.
