Post-tropical cyclone Ophelia drenched the Northeast on Friday, resulting in a state of emergency in New York. The New York City subway system, airport terminals, and roads were shut down due to the downpour. In the first 24 hours, Ophelia had dumped approximately six inches of rain in Central Park, with more rain falling in other parts of the state.
This was not the height of Ophelia’s strength, as strong winds at 40+ mph were seen over the warm Gulf Stream current on September 21. The tropical storm was officially declared on Friday, September 22 at 4 p.m. It was first seen around 150 miles southeast of Cape Fear, North Carolina. North Carolina was severely impacted, with a storm surge of four feet being recorded in the lower Chesapeake Bay area. Significant flooding also occurred close to East Carolina University, as well as the city of Greenville. North Carolina also encountered many damages: trees falling on homes and roads, vehicles that got caught on flooded roads, and citizens who sustained injuries while outdoors.
From North Carolina, Ophelia moved to Virginia, where 2.5 feet of flooding occurred in Alexandria. Ophelia continued to travel up the East coast, hitting Delaware. Many homes near Bowers Beach were reported to have been surrounded by water with large amounts of beach erosion. In Maryland, a roof was torn off a condo due to strong winds. A reported 70,000 homeowners did not have power for several hours as well. From here, the heavy rains continued to impact New Jersey and New York.
Similar to North Carolina, New Jersey was also deeply affected by Ophelia. Many parts of the state saw coastal flooding, especially the Manasquan Inlet and the Jersey Shore. Waves from the Jersey Shore spilled water into Ocean Drive in Avalon, rendering cars unable to move. Mayor Ravi S. Bhalla of Hoboken reported a total of 2.15 inches of rain falling in Hoboken, with the North Hudson Sewerage Authority’s stations pumping 17 million gallons of stormwater out of the city.
The main threats posed by Ophelia were dangerous ocean conditions, heavy rains, and flooding. The ocean conditions had potential to cause rip currents, posing a grave danger to human life. The National Weather Service issued multiple flood warnings, impacting nearly nine million people between the affected states. As tropical storm Ophelia subsided, many continued to rebuild and resume their lives throughout the East Coast.
