by Donald Wood
Last updated: 9:10 AM ET, Fri September 22, 2023
A tropical storm forming off the coast of the Southeast United
States is forecast to bring heavy rain, strong winds, high surf, coastal
flooding and rip currents to the East Coast.
According to Weather.com,
the National Hurricane Center (NHC) dubbed a low-pressure system off the coast “Potential
Tropical Cyclone Sixteen,” which allows the federal agency to issue tropical
storm watches and warnings before the storm actually forms.
The NHC believes the low-pressure system will become a
tropical or subtropical storm on Friday and then spread northward through
Saturday, with the name Ophelia likely to be assigned to the storm. North
Carolina is already experiencing heavy rainfall.
As for the areas impacted by the tropical storm alerts, the NHC
issued warnings for the eastern parts of North Carolina and Virginia to
southern Maryland, including Chesapeake Bay, Albemarle Sound and Pamlico Sound.
The rain, winds and riptide associated with the storm will
carry along the East Coast through Sunday, with areas like Philadelphia, New
York City and Boston all feeling the storm’s impact.
As a result, several major U.S. airlines—including Delta Air
Lines, Southwest Airlines and United Airlines—have started issuing
travel advisories and waiving change fees for impacted areas, including Baltimore,
New York (LaGuardia), Philadelphia, Richmond and Washington D.C.
Cruise lines serving the region and rail companies like
Amtrak are keeping a close eye on the weather pattern and will alter
itineraries and schedules if necessary, depending on the storm's trajectory.
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