Updates: 35,000 residents without power, tornado watch issued for Hampton Roads, Outer Banks
If you like wet weather, you should enjoy the next few days.
Heavy rain is in the forecast Friday through Monday morning across Hampton Roads, with 3-4 inches expected in a 24-hour period from Friday into Saturday morning, according to the National Weather Service. A flood warning was issued for much of the area until 8:30 p.m. Friday.
Tornado risk
The stormiest weather is expected to last through Friday night, as vestiges from Hurricane Ian reach the region. The weather service issued a tornado watch for the region from early afternoon until 10 p.m. Friday. The tornado watch covers Hampton Roads, including north through Williamsburg and Mathews County, south to Isle of Wight and Southampton County, and the Eastern Shore.
The tornado watch also covers all of coastal North Carolina and parts of South Carolina.
The National Weather Service began issuing tornado warnings for parts of North Carolina, inland from the Outer Banks after 5 p.m. That includes Camden, Shawboro and Shiloh. The warnings are in effect until 6:15 p.m.
A tornado warning means a tornado was spotted by weather radar in the area.
When the near-Category 5 storm slammed the southwestern coast of Florida, it ripped off roofs, swept away vehicles and caused record-level flooding. The storm has lost strength since then but was expected to make landfall Friday afternoon in South Carolina.
The chance of rain in Hampton Roads is 100% Friday — with the rain “heavy at times,” the weather service says. It will be windy throughout the day, with steady winds of up to 31 mph. Along the coast, gusts as high as 55 mph could be possible.
Traffic impacts
The storm created a major highway traffic headache Friday afternoon in Newport News Friday afternoon. Traffic on Interstate 64 was jammed for several hours after a tree downed a power line across the highway and a tractor trailer drove over the downed wires. A 5-mile stretch of I-64 was closed for about two hours so crews could clean up the roadway.
The Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel was closed around 6:30 p.m. due to severe weather as wind and rain continued to batter Hampton Roads, and did not specify when it would reopen. The 20-mile bridge-tunnel, which directly connects Hampton Roads with the Eastern Shore, was operating under level 1 and 2 conditions earlier in the day — reducing the speed limit to 45 mph, prohibiting passing, and implementing vehicle restrictions.
Power outages
State agencies and local governments have mobilized across the region to prepare for the storm. The Virginia National Guard also staged approximately 60 soldiers and airmen at Virginia Beach and key areas across the state to assist with weather-related emergency response.
Dozens of Dominion Energy crews were dispatched to cities across the region to restore power to around 35,000 residents. As of 7:30 p.m. Friday, approximately 15,000 customers were without power in Virginia Beach, 9,000 in Norfolk, 2,700 in Chesapeake and 2,500 in Portsmouth. On the Peninsula, around 3,900 customers in Newport News and 1,000 in Hampton are without power.
Flooding concerns
“Certainly the heaviest of the rainfall will be from now into the evening,” Ryan Rogers, a National Weather Service meteorologist.
There’s a significant chance of coastal flooding in parts of Hampton Roads — particularly low-lying areas of Norfolk and Hampton — as tidal heights peak on Friday. Early Friday afternoon — just before 1 p.m., “would be the time that we’re most worried about.”
Tidal heights are projected to reach 5.7 feet — a few feet above normal — at Sewell’s Point in Norfolk, which is in the moderate flood risk category. The tides are projected to be about 5.7 feet off Fort Monroe in Hampton and 5.4 feet at the Midtown Tunnel in Portsmouth.
The next high tide, sometime after 6 p.m. Friday will be higher than normal and could produce some minor flooding.
Rain is “likely” on Saturday before 9 a.m., with a 60% chance of precipitation for the day, the weather service said.
Weekend ahead
Saturday afternoon is expected to be the best weather of the weekend: Skies will grow partly sunny as the day goes on, with a high near 80 degrees and reduced winds. But showers, Rogers said, could still be “hanging along the coast.”
“It actually looks like we maybe get a little break on Saturday, before things start becoming problematic again Sunday and early next week,” Rogers said. “So I wouldn’t say Saturday is going to be a nice day. It’ll just be improved from what we’re dealing with today.”
On Sunday, rains and winds are likely to come back after 2 p.m., the weather service said. The chance of rain is again at 60%, with wind gusts up to 28 miles per hour. Rains are likely early Monday morning but are less likely after 8 a.m.
“Early next week, the concern will switch away from rainfall and back to coastal flooding and strong winds,” Rogers said. But the rain intensity, he said, “will be less than what we’re dealing with today and this evening.”
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This is a developing story. Check back throughout the day for updates.
