New Yorkers will likely need their umbrellas and rain boots this weekend, as a potential tropical storm is brewing in the Atlantic Ocean, threatening to drench the East Coast.
The National Weather Service issued a tropical storm warning in response to the cyclone, which is slated to make landfall near North Carolina late on Friday, before turning north towards the Big Apple.
While New York City will be spared from the worst effects of the projected weather, where there may be three to four feet of storm surge, residents should still expect high winds and heavy rain, according to the NWS.
If the weather pattern, currently dubbed Potential Tropical Cyclone 16, indeed reaches tropical storm strength with sustained winds of 39 mph as expected, it would be named “Ophelia” by the World Meteorological Organization.
It would be the 14th named weather pattern of the 2023 hurricane season.
Residents located in places of high flooding risk are advised to be particularly alert this weekend as a result of several inches of expected rain.
“The combination of a dangerous storm surge and the tide will cause normally dry areas near the coast to be flooded by rising waters moving inland from the shoreline,” the NWS’ advisory reads. “Surge-related flooding depends on the relative timing of the surge and the tidal cycle, and can vary greatly over short distances.”
The storm’s potential arrival comes just a week after Hurricane Lee hit New England, though mostly sparing New York. Lee made landfall on Sept. 16, and resulted in at least two deaths.
Read more: Hurricane Henri Approaches: NYC Declares Emergency
