Tropical Storm Chantal made landfall along the North Carolina coast early this morning; while it has weakened to a tropical depression, a flash flood threat will continue as rain bands move across portions of the Mid Atlantic today into tomorrow.
The National Hurricane Center issued their last advisory on Chantal at 11 am today. At that time, the center of Chantal was about 20 miles southwest of Lumberton, North Carolina and about 80 miles west of Wilmington, North Carolina. Maximum sustained winds were down to 35 mph while minimum central pressure was up to 1007 mb or 29.74″.
With the storm center inland, the National Hurricane Center has dropped all Tropical Storm Warnings that were in effect.
The depression is moving toward the north near 9 mph and this motion is expected to continue today. A turn toward the northeast is expected this evening and that motion should continue into Monday. On the forecast track, the center of Chantal is expected to move over eastern North Carolina through tonight. Additional weakening is expected during the next 24 hours, and the system is expected to degenerate into a trough of low pressure on Monday.
The system will continue to dump significant rain onto the Mid Atlantic. Across portions of central North Carolina into Monday, storm total rainfall of 2-4″, with local amounts up to 6″ inches, is expected. An elevated risk for flash flooding will continue.
Soaking rains will advance north into Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, New Jersey, and southeastern new England. However rain will take on an on/off showery consistency then with isolated downpours followed by breaks in the rain.
An isolated tornado or two is possible today over parts of eastern North Carolina. The tornado threat should diminish over the Mid Atlantic as the circulation around Chantal falls apart.
Life-threatening surf and rip current conditions are expected to continue at beaches along the U.S. east coast from northeastern Florida to the Mid-Atlantic states during the next day or so.
