Remnants of Tropical Storm Ophelia soaks New York area with heavy rain

What remained of Tropical Storm Ophelia brought heavy rain and above average winds to the tri-state area Sunday, as the National Weather Service warned of potential flash floods.

Ophelia made landfall in North Carolina on Saturday as a tropical storm but quickly lost strength as it moved up the East Coast. By Sunday morning, its sustained winds were only 25 mph.

But the storm, now qualified as a post-tropical cyclone, continued to pose a threat because of its slow motion and powerful rains.

“This rainfall may produce localized flash, urban and small stream flooding impacts across portions of the Mid-Atlantic region into southern New England,” the National Hurricane Center said in its final alert on Ophelia. “Isolated river flooding is possible in areas of heavier rainfall.”

However, most of the region saw less than 2 inches of rain, according to the National Weather Service. The NHC estimated a 15% chance of flash flooding in New York City, Philadelphia, Wilkes-Barre, Hartford and everywhere in between.

Ophelia was predicted to turn east and head back out to sea overnight. There was no storm surge threat in the New York area, as the Chesapeake Bay region already saw the worst of the surge.

“Water levels remain elevated within portions of Chesapeake Bay and its tidal rivers but should gradually recede through today,” the NHC said Sunday morning.

Ophelia formed quickly last week off the coast of the Carolinas before roaring ashore Saturday morning near Emerald Isle, N.C. While the storm flooded several coastal communities stretching from the Carolinas to New Jersey, no deaths or serious injuries had been reported by Sunday afternoon.

The storm also kicked up dangerous surf, which the NHC warned “will affect much of the U.S. East Coast through the remainder of the weekend” and could be life-threatening.

Ophelia was the fourth tropical cyclone to make landfall on mainland North America in the 2023 Atlantic hurricane season, following Harold, Idalia and Lee.