Chief Meteorologist Patrick Rockey's First Warning Forecast
I hope you're ready for some messy weather to end summer and begin fall.
A storm system forming off of Florida is expected to roll up the coast, bringing us gusty winds, heavy downpours and the threat for tidal flooding.
Tropical Storm Warnings are in effect until 8 am on Sunday. The storm is expected to become a tropical storm as it moves north. That storm would be named Ophelia.
Whether it's a tropical storm or just a coastal storm, the results for us will be pretty much the same.
We expect the first bands of rain to arrive Friday morning, with widespread rain arriving in the afternoon.
We expect the heaviest downpours late Friday afternoon and into the evening and overnight hours.
As the center of the storm moves inland, showers and storms will become more widely scattered. That means it won't be raining all day.
We'll see wind gusts in the 30-40 mph range, with gusts close to 50 mph.
Those gusty east and northeast winds will cause tidal flooding. We're expecting minor tidal flooding on Friday afternoon, just as a lot of folks hit the road for their trip home from work. It's going to be a mess.
The highest water will likely arrive on Saturday afternoon, when we're expecting moderate tidal flooding. That will be a good time to NOT be out and about.
As the storm moves away from our region on Saturday evening, things will improve rapidly.
We do expect the winds to die down and sunshine to return on Sunday. But there's still a slight chance for some early showers and storms.
