Late Monday, the North Carolina Department of Transportation closed Ocracoke Island’s only thoroughfare “out of an abundance of caution,” as high tides brought ocean overwash flooding, the agency said in a social media post.

By Tuesday morning, the ocean had breached the dune, flooding the road in “deep water,” NCDOT said. There was no timeframe for when N.C. 12 might reopen, and ferry service between Hatteras and Ocracoke is suspended until it does..

Schools on Hatteras Island and Ocraocke operated under two-hour delays Tuesday morning, with high surf advisories in effect through 11 a.m. and flood watches up through 2 p.m.

Virginia braces for potential flooding, up to 4 inches of rain from tropical cyclone remnants

NCDOT reported N.C. 12 on Hatteras Island was open and passable Tuesday morning, but secondary roads in Rodanthe were “inundated with ocean overwash.”

“Additionally, over the next several days, the seashore expects varying levels of ocean overwash in Hatteras, Buxton and Rodanthe, and possibly near the Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge visitor center,” the National Park Service said in a news release.

In Rodanthe and Buxton, rough surf from the storm this week coupled with higher-than-usual tides due to the full moon, damaged several oceanfront homes already threatened by ongoing erosion.

The park service urged visitors to avoid the beach on the north end of Rodanthe due to debris from building materials and parts of septic systems on the beach and in the water. Authorities are also keeping an eye on several condemned oceanfront homes in Rodanthe and Buxton that appear to be in imminent danger of collapse.

Meteorologists expect between 1-2 inches of rain over the course of the day, but some areas could receive up to 4 inches, according to the National Weather Service in Wakefield. A flood watch for flash flooding is in effect for Virginia cities east of Interstate 95. Urban and poorly drained areas are also expected to flood.

Low pressure near the North Carolina and South Carolina border will bring “unsettled” weather to the region today, Wakefield meteorologists reported.

Storm cuts off Ocracoke Island, delays schools and threatens condemned cottages on the Outer Banks

In addition to flooding, wind gusts could get up to 34 mph on the coasts. Wave heights in Virginia Beach today are expected to swell to 7-10 feet, depending on the beach.

On the Outer Banks, ferry operations on the Hatteras Inlet are shut down due to weather and road conditions on Highway 12.

Eliza Noe, eliza.noe@virginiamedia.com

Cloudy skies today with several rounds of showers and storms moving through from SE to NW. Rain could be heavy at times and localized flooding is possible. It will be windy again today, ENE at 10 to 20 with gusts to 25 mph. The strong winds could trigger coastal flooding near times of high tide.

Winds will back down for the second half of the week. Expect a mix of clouds with scattered showers lingering throughout the week. High temperatures will stay in the upper 70s to low 80s.

The wind will kick up again this weekend, with gusts 20 to 30 mph. Expect partly to mostly cloudy skies with scattered showers possible both days.

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Today: Rain & Windy. Highs in the mid 70s. Winds: E 10-20 G25
Tonight: Showers. Lows near 70. Winds: E 10-20
Tomorrow: Scattered Showers. Highs near 80. Winds: NE 5-10

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Tropical Update

Tropical Depression Gordon over the central Atlantic. A turn toward the north is expected during the next day or so. Gordon could gradually re-intensify by midweek and become a tropical storm again.

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Weather & Health

Pollen: Low (Ragweed)
UV Index: 1 (Low)
Air Quality: Good (Code Green)
Mosquitoes: Very High

It will be windy again today, NE at 10 to 20 with gusts to 30 mph. The strong NE winds could trigger coastal flooding near times of high tide.

A soggy and windy Tuesday is expected. Expect mostly cloudy skies with showers and storms. Rain could be heavy at times with isolated storms. Strong to severe storms are possible including a risk for tornadoes. It will still be windy tomorrow with an east wind at 10 to 20 and gusts to 30 mph.

Winds will back down for the second half of the week. Expect a mix of clouds with scattered showers and storms lingering throughout the week. High temperatures will stay in the upper 70s to low 80s all week.

• Today: Rain & Windy. Highs upper 70s. Winds: NE 10-20 G30
• Tonight: Rain & Windy. Lows near 70. Winds: NE 10-20 G30
• Tomorrow: Rain & Windy. Highs in the upper 70s. Winds: E 10-20 G30

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Tropical Update

Potential Tropical Cyclone Eight is getting stronger as it approaches the South Carolina coast. On the forecast track, the low will reach the coast of South Carolina this afternoon and then move inland across the Carolinas tonight through Wednesday.

Maximum sustained winds have increased to near 50 mph with higher gusts. The low has a chance of becoming a tropical or subtropical storm. Weakening is forecast after the system moves inland, and it is likely to dissipate over the Carolinas by late Wednesday.

Tropical Depression Gordon is over the central Atlantic. A westward motion is expected during the next day or so, then a turn to the north. Maximum sustained winds are near 30 mph with higher gusts. Little change in strength is forecast during the next couple of days, though Gordon could become a post-tropical remnant low at any time.

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Weather & Health

• Pollen: Medium (Ragweed)
• UV Index: 4 (Medium)
• Air Quality: Good (Code Green)
• Mosquitoes: Very High

The center of the storm system was near the South Carolina coast Monday afternoon, moving inland, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said. Strong winds were spreading onshore and dozens of roads were flooded. Known as Potential Tropical Cyclone No. 8, the system never organized enough to become the eighth named tropical storm of the season, Helene.

But no matter its classification, the storm prompted school closings, including Coastal Carolina University, and flooded areas south of Wilmington, North Carolina, with more than a foot (30 centimeters) of rain while nearby Wrightsville Beach had a wind gust of 65 mph (105 kph).

In Brunswick County, North Carolina, flooding reached waist high in areas around the courthouse, the Sheriff’s Office said. About 15 miles (24 kilometers) away in Carolina Beach, blocks of the city were covered with a few inches of water and dozens of vehicles had floodwaters up to their doors as officials urged people to stay home. Radar estimated up to 18 inches (46 centimeters) of rain fell in the area.

According to North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper’s office, building and road damage was reported in Brunswick and in New Hanover County, where Wilmington is located. In a news release, the governor urged people in storm areas Monday night and Tuesday to stay off the roads.

A tropical storm warning was in effect for parts of the coasts of North Carolina and South Carolina for about 24 hours before it was canceled Monday afternoon.

The low-pressure system was near the South Carolina coast about 100 miles (156 kilometers) northeast of Charleston on Monday afternoon. It had maximum sustained winds of 35 mph (55 kph) and was moving to the north-northwest at 7 mph (11 kph), forecasters said.

Late Sunday night, forecasters said the system had a chance of becoming a tropical or subtropical storm, but it then became less organized, with the strongest winds in outer rain bands instead of near the center, said Carl Morgan, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service’s office in Wilmington.

“There are still strong winds out there. They just not concentrating near a center,” Morgan said.

In an updated hurricane outlook last month the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration was still predicting a highly active Atlantic hurricane season thanks to near-record sea surface temperatures and the possibility of La Nina. Emergency management officials have urged people to stay prepared.

The storm was expected to dump 4 to 8 inches (10 to 20 centimeters) of rain in northeast South Carolina into southeast North Carolina and up to 10 inches (25 centimeters) in isolated spots, with smaller amounts expected across the remainder of North Carolina through Tuesday, according to forecasters.

Over much of Virginia, 1 to 3 inches (2.5 to 8 centimeters) of rainfall, with locally higher amounts, were expected from Monday night through Wednesday. The hurricane center predicted the rainfall could lead to isolated and scattered flash and urban flooding, as well as minor river flooding.

The system will likely dissipate over the Carolinas by late Wednesday, forecasters said.

Elsewhere in the Atlantic, Tropical Storm Gordon weakened to a depression as it swirls through open ocean waters. Gordon could either dissolve in upcoming days or strengthen back into a tropical storm, forecasters said.

The storm system was expected to reach the South Carolina coast Monday afternoon and then move inland across the Carolinas from Monday night through Wednesday, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said. Strong winds were approaching the coast Monday morning and were expected to spread onshore.

A tropical storm warning was in effect from Edisto Beach, South Carolina, northward to Ocracoke Inlet, near the southernmost extreme of North Carolina’s Outer Banks.

The low-pressure system was centered Monday morning about 100 miles (160 kilometers) east of Charleston, South Carolina, and about 85 miles (140 kilometers) south of Cape Fear, North Carolina. It had maximum sustained winds of 50 mph (85 kph) and was moving to the northwest at 3 mph (6 kph), forecasters said.

The system still had a chance of becoming a tropical or subtropical storm, but forecasters have said those chances may have started to decrease since it seemed to have become less organized.

In an updated hurricane outlook last month the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration was still predicting a highly active Atlantic hurricane season thanks to near-record sea surface temperatures and the possibility of La Nina. Emergency management officials have urged people to stay prepared.

Maximum winds were expected to decrease as the low approached the coast, but tropical-storm-force winds were still expected to occur within the warning areas. It would likely dissipate over the Carolinas by late Wednesday, forecasters said.

The storm was expected to dump 4 to 8 inches (10 to 20 centimeters) of rain in northeast South Carolina into southeast North Carolina and up to 10 inches (25 centimeters) in isolated spots, with smaller amounts expected across the remainder of North Carolina through Tuesday, according to forecasters.

Over much of Virginia, 1 to 3 inches (2.5 to 8 centimeters) of rainfall, with locally higher amounts, were expected from Monday night through Wednesday. The hurricane center predicted the rainfall could lead to isolated and scattered flash and urban flooding, as well as minor river flooding.

The Southeast coast also could expect rough surf over the next few days, forecasters said.

Elsewhere in the Atlantic, Tropical Storm Gordon weakened to a depression as it swirls through open ocean waters. Gordon could either dissolve in upcoming days or strengthen back into a tropical storm, forecasters said.

The tropical storm formed Thursday off Mexico’s Pacific coast as it moved ashore, making landfall on the coast of the Mexican state of Sinaloa Saturday, a day after it pounded the resort-studded Los Cabos.

On Sunday, wind speed dropped to 35 mph (55 kph), NOAA said in an advisory, as Ileana was nearly 30 miles (45 kilometers) southwest of Los Mochis, Mexico, and moving west-northwest at 2 mph (4 kph). It also forecasts the storm to become a remnant low — a post-tropical cyclone with maximum sustained winds less than 34 knots.

On Friday, a warning had been in effect for portions of the Baja California Peninsula, including Cabo San Lucas and San Jose del Cabo.

Juan Manuel Arce Ortega, from Los Cabos Civil Protection, said the municipalities of La Paz and Los Cabos had suspended classes in schools due to the storm.

Authorities prepared 20 temporary shelters in San Jose del Cabo and Cabo San Lucas, according to Los Cabos Civil Protection.

At the Hacienda Beach Club and Residences in Cabo San Lucas, valet worker Alan Galvan said the rain arrived late Thursday night and has been constant. “The rain isn’t very strong right now, but the waves are choppy,” he said.

“The guests are very calm and already came down for coffee,” Galvan said. “There’s some flights canceled but everything is ok at the moment.”

The rain remained consistent through Los Cabos Friday afternoon, with several roads flooded and some resorts stacking up sandbags on their perimeters. Some people were still walking around boat docks with their umbrellas.

“The priority has to be safety, starting with the workers. We always have to check on our colleagues who live in risk areas,” said Lyzzette Liceaga, a tour operator at Los Cabos.

Ileana was the only active tropical storm in the National Weather Service’s Eastern Pacific basin on Friday. In the Atlantic basin, post-tropical cyclone Francine was bringing heavy rain to parts of the southern United States, and Tropical Storm Gordon formed on Friday in the Atlantic Ocean, with forecasters saying it is expected to remain over open water for several days.

Meteorologists are watching for a non-tropical area of low pressure that could form a few hundred miles off the coast of the Carolinas. The hurricane center reported the low-pressure system may develop “some subtropical or tropical characteristics” over the next several days, and by early next week “a subtropical or tropical depression could form” and move northwest up the East Coast toward Hampton Roads.

Currently, the chance of tropical formation over the next 48 hours is low, about 10%. However, the chance of formation over the next seven days is 40%, or “medium,” according to the hurricane center.

The National Hurricane Center is also tracking Tropical Storm Gordon, a storm is about 2,500 miles from the U.S. East Coast and is moving to the west-northwest at 12 mph.

Eliza Noe, eliza.noe@virginiamedia.com

We will see a mix of partly to mostly cloudy skies today with spotty showers possible. Highs will return to near 80 and it will be humid. The wind will kick up again, NE at 10 to 15 and gusts to 20 mph.

Highs will linger in the upper 70s this weekend and it will still be humid. Expect partly cloudy skies with isolated showers possible both days. Winds will ramp up this weekend, NE at 10 to 20 with gusts 25 to 30 mph.

Rain chances will increase early next week as an area of low pressure lingers along the Carolina coast. Expect mostly cloudy skies, scattered showers, isolated storms, and breezy conditions through the first half of the week.

Today: Mostly Cloudy. Highs near 80. Winds: NE 10-15
Tonight: Partly Cloudy. Lows near 70. Winds: NE 5-15
Tomorrow: Partly Cloudy. Highs in the upper 70s. Winds: NE 10-20

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Tropical Update

Francine is now post-tropical as it moves up the Mississippi River.

Tropical Depression Seven continues moving WNW over the open Atlantic. Some slight strengthening is forecast during the next day or so, and the depression could become a tropical storm (Gordon) on Friday.

Watching a small area of low pressure near the northern Leeward Islands. Environmental conditions do not favor development of this system while it moves WNW.

• Formation chance through 48 hours: Low (20%)
• Formation chance through 7 days: Low (20%)

A non-tropical area of low pressure could form off the southeastern U.S. coastline this weekend. Some subtropical or tropical development is possible during the early part of next week while the system moves toward the coast.

• Formation chance through 48 hours: Low (0%)
• Formation chance through 7 days: Low (30%)

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Weather & Health

Pollen: Med-High (Ragweed)
UV Index: 7 (High)
Air Quality: Good (Code Green)
Mosquitoes: Very High

Generally, experts say heat deaths are undercounted across the country, and the Clark County coroner’s office can take up to 90 days to declare heat a contributing factor in the majority of deaths. The coroner’s office update on Wednesday brings the total number up from 181, which was announced on Aug. 29.

The number is nearing last year’s total death toll — 309, according to the coroner’s office, and more deaths are likely. The total number of deaths where heat was declared a factor shot up from 169 in 2022 — about an 80% increase when compared with last year, according to coroner’s office data.

Southern Nevada’s summer has been abnormally hot. Las Vegas reached an all-time record of 120 degrees in July, and climate change has contributed to high temperatures up to five times more possible, according to science communications firm Climate Central.

With a high of 102 on Tuesday, it was the 100th day with a high of 100 or more. The same also occurred in 1947.

Cooler temperatures, with a high near 94, are expected Thursday.

An incoming system will bring strong south to southwest winds. The winds combined with single-digit relative humidity will result in critical fire weather conditions across much of Lincoln, Clark and Mohave counties.

Any fires that develop will likely spread rapidly. Outdoor burning is not recommended.

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(Staff writer Marvin Clemons contributed to this story.)

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