After heavy rain and strong wind gusts hit Hampton Roads and Northeast NC on Tuesday, the region will see continued rain chances through the week.
NORFOLK, Va. — A slow-moving low-pressure system is set to bring a period of unsettled weather through midweek, with potentially heavy rain tonight through Tuesday evening.
The National Weather Service (NWS) issued a flood watch until Wednesday at 5:00 a.m. for much of Virginia and North Carolina, including Hampton Roads and the Outer Banks.
The flood watch has come to an end after the heavy rain moved out of the area. Thunderstorms are anticipated for Wednesday night.
A viewer sent in this photo of a tree that fell and barely missed a home near William & Mary around 11 a.m. on Tuesday.
Tuesday's full forecast for Coastal Virginia
A low pressure is centered over the Deep South, dumping widespread heavy rainfall across much of the South and Mid-Atlantic. That low-pressure center will move further east over the next few days, bringing prolonged periods of showers and locally heavy rainfall through Tuesday.
More widespread showers will continue throughout the day Tuesday. Additional rainfall will be about 1 to 3", with locally higher amounts possible along the I-95 corridor. More rainfall will be possible Tuesday night, pushing rainfall totals to between 2 and 4". A Flood Watch will be in effect through Tuesday night for much of the area, excluding the Eastern Shore and Northern Neck.
We also cannot rule out isolated, brief tornadoes as the rain bands spin around the center of low pressure. Isolated, damaging winds are also possible, with winds up to 60 mph.
The showers and a couple of thunderstorms will roll over Hampton Roads from southwest to northeast throughout the day. A few isolated downpours are possible late on Tuesday after the widespread rain moves out.
The stubborn low pressure will lift north Tuesday night as some dry air moves in, allowing showers to taper off overnight into Wednesday morning. Another round of showers and thunderstorms will be likely Wednesday afternoon and evening, moving offshore by Wednesday night. With a little more sunshine Wednesday, some of the thunderstorms could be on the strong side, containing small hail and gusty winds. High temperatures will be in the lower 80s.
In recent years, the City of Norfolk has attempted to better prepare for flooding events, including the pilot partnership between Floodmapp and Waze to bring drivers using the GPS app real-time flooding alerts as they're driving.
"When we kicked it off, we were in the 75-80 percent accuracy range, I think we’re more than 90 percent accurate now, we’ve sent over 12,000 confirmed alerts over the last few years," Kyle Spencer said, Chief Resiliency Officer for the City of Norfolk.
VDOT urges drivers to use caution
The Virginia Department of Transportation is actively monitoring road conditions and is ready to respond to fallen trees, flooded roadways and other hazards.
VDOT crews, along with Safety Service Patrol vehicles, are on standby and patrolling interstates. In the days leading up to a strong storm, VDOT will clear drains and check flood-prone areas.
VDOT urges motorists to limit travel. If you must drive, keep the following in mind:
Drivers should also be aware of hazards:
Credit: Hannah Amado
Flood mitigation efforts in Norfolk
Reporter Emily Harrison followed up on the millions of dollars the city of Norfolk has poured into flood mitigation projects.
This includes:
Power outages in Newport News
As of 11:15 a.m., more than 1,000 customers are without power in Newport News near Christopher Newport University.
According to Dominion Energy, a power line was damaged in the Hidenwood area, and a crew has been dispatched. Outages were also reported near Yorkshire Downs and Sandy Bottom Nature Park.
As of 2 p.m., a majority of the power was restored in a majority of neighborhoods.
How much rain will Coastal Virginia see?
On Thursday, there will still be enough residual moisture and instability for widely scattered afternoon showers and thunderstorms, but fewer areas will see the wet weather. It will be warm, with highs in the lower-to-middle 80s.
With this multi-day rain event, from Monday through Thursday, we'll accumulate 2-4" of rain, with 4+" of rainfall possible near I-95.
Behind this system, we'll be watching for our next cold front arriving on Saturday. This cold front will bring another round of rain during the weekend.
Highs during the beginning work week will start in the middle to upper 70s, but temperatures will significantly climb by the end of the week. Highs on Friday near 90°.
Credit: 13News Now
Turn around, don't drown
When - Widespread, light rainfall will begin after midnight on Tuesday. The heaviest rain picks up around 5 am for our southwestern cities and will move northeast through the entire viewing area. That heavy rainband will exit to sea by 6 pm. Some isolated downpours will return around 9 pm.
Impacts - Heavy rainfall could lead to flash flooding. This work-week rain event could provide a widespread 2-4" of rainfall.
Needs - When you encounter flooded roadways, turn around, don't drown. Seek higher ground. Stay close to the forecast for flooding alerts in your area.