Potential Tropical Cyclone SIXTEEN will likely be named Tropical Storm Ophelia by late Friday morning.  The center of SIXTEEN will move into Eastern North Carolina.  Impacts will be felt well north from the center of the storm. 

STORM SURGE is a concern for the Lower Chesapeake Bay, Lower Virginia Eastern Shore, and Eastern North Carolina.  Storm surge values of 2 to 4 feet ABOVE ground level will be possible Saturday morning and again Saturday afternoon.  This could result in flooding across low-lying areas near the Bay and rivers.

Rain will develop across Southeastern Virginia by late Friday afternoon and spread north and west into Richmond Metro by this evening.  Rain will be likely after Midnight across Northern Virginia and the Virginia Piedmont and Valley.  The heaviest rain will be across Metro Richmond and Southeastern Virginia, where 3 to 6 inches will be possible, with locally higher amounts.  This could cause flooding or flash flooding.

The strongest winds will be along the coast, however, breezy conditions will also occur well inland to the Blue Ridge mountains.  Wind gusts 45 to 60 mph will be likely Friday night into Saturday along the Chesapeake Bay, with wind gusts 35 to 45 mph along Interstate 95.

The tornado threat is mainly across Eastern Virginia.  The threat is on the lower end, however, it is not zero.  Some supercells rotating on the northeast side of the tropical system could produce isolated tornadoes. 

The worst impacts from the tropical system will be across Southeastern Virginia, with a storm surge of 2 to 4 feet, rainfall of 3 to 7 inches, scattered power outages, and wind gusts up to 60 mph.

Here is the latest Virginia Weather Network storm briefing from our Facebook page.  You can find additional updates on our Facebook page throughout the storm.  Also, the Virginia Weather Network app can show you future radar and will alert you of any severe warnings as they happen.