Brewing nor’easter to stir up days of trouble for the Outer Banks and Mid-Atlantic

Strong winds, pounding seas and coastal flood threats will be near-constant companions for parts of North Carolina up through the Chesapeake Bay area this weekend as a nor’easter that’s expected to linger well into next week starts to take shape.

This budding storm will not follow in the exact footsteps or reach the same strength as last month’s nor’easter . Still, it’s not going to be a pleasant few days for the areas impacted by the new storm.

Here’s what to expect.

Wind will be the most widespread and long-lasting threat. Windy conditions will start to pick up later Saturday afternoon after a potent cold front slices through the Mid-Atlantic and eastern North Carolina and brings a major cooldown and some rain.

Frequent gusts of 30 to 40 mph are possible once the front moves through the Chesapeake Bay and inland eastern North Carolina. Stronger gusts up to 50 mph are possible for North Carolina’s Outer Banks.

Winds will worsen once the area of low pressure that will become the coastal storm starts to develop off the North Carolina coast Sunday. Gusts up to 60 mph are possible in parts of the Outer Banks by Sunday afternoon, with gusts approaching 50 mph farther inland in the state and up into parts of coastal Virginia and Maryland.

These winds could bring down trees or power lines and lead to some power outages.

This increase in wind speed is due to an interaction between the developing storm and an area of high pressure in southeastern Canada. These two will squeeze the air between them, sending faster winds at the coast.

The stronger the storm gets, the higher the wind speeds will climb. This budding storm isn’t expected to become super powerful, but its proximity to the coast elevates its wind threat.

The nor’easter will likely be fully formed by Monday afternoon, which is also when wind speeds will start to peak for the coast and rain will start to spread over the region. Flash flooding isn’t a significant threat, but wind-driven rain will not be pleasant to be out and about in.

Gusts of more than 60 mph are possible in parts of the Outer Banks with 40 to 50 mph gusts creeping toward the Interstate 95 corridor in North Carolina and southern Virginia. Farther north along the coast, gusts to 30 mph are possible in parts of coastal Delaware and New Jersey even as the storm remains near the Carolinas.

Similarly strong winds are possible on Tuesday in North Carolina and the Mid-Atlantic and may ease only slightly by Wednesday. The forecast for the latter half of next week is more uncertain and will depend heavily on exactly how long the coastal storm meanders near the Carolinas.

Regardless, breezy to windy conditions along the coast could continue into next weekend.

This is another one of the storm’s prolonged threats. At least minor coastal flooding could start as early as Sunday morning’s high tide in parts of the Outer Banks and up through the Chesapeake Bay, as strong winds shove more water ashore.

Water levels will rise higher by Sunday afternoon’s high tide and some areas could experience moderate coastal flooding at that time, especially around the Virginia-North Carolina border.

Further instances of moderate flooding are likely during Monday’s high tides and a similar rhythm of issues will continue through at least midweek. Some spots could see major flooding depending on exactly how close the storm hugs the coast.

Hand-in-hand with coastal flood threats, rough seas and larger waves are likely to pound the coast later this weekend and well into next week.

Days of this relentless wave action could worsen ongoing beach erosion, especially in parts of the Outer Banks, where homes have crumbled into the sea in recent years and roadways have washed away .

Once the coastal storm forms off the coast of the Carolinas, it’s forecast to linger there for several days and potentially up to a week.

This storm will not be a tropical system when it forms: Tropical storms are fueled by warm water, whereas this one will get its start along the same cold front that ushers in this weekend’s cooldown.

However, the longer it lingers over warm water located just off the coast, a chance starts to creep in that it could become a hybrid system — fed by both the ocean heat and energy in the atmosphere.

The storm is unlikely to become tropical, but it’s not impossible later next week. If it did, the impacts wouldn’t change much; the National Hurricane Center would just have to keep an eye on it.

本周末，强风、巨浪和沿海洪水威胁将伴随北卡罗来纳州部分地区直至切萨皮克湾地区，预计持续到下周的东北风暴正在形成。

这场正在酝酿的风暴不会重蹈上个月东北风暴的覆辙，也不会达到同样的强度。不过，受这场新风暴影响的地区未来几天也不会好过。

以下是您需要了解的内容。

风将是影响范围最广、持续时间最长的威胁。一股强劲的冷锋将于周六下午晚些时候席卷大西洋中部地区和北卡罗来纳州东部，带来大幅降温和降雨，届时风力将开始增强。

锋面过境切萨皮克湾和北卡罗来纳州东部内陆地区后，可能会出现频繁的阵风，风速可达每小时30至40英里。北卡罗来纳州的外滩群岛可能会出现更强的阵风，风速可达每小时50英里。

周日，随着低压区在北卡罗来纳州沿海发展形成沿海风暴，风力将进一步增强。到周日下午，外滩群岛部分地区阵风风速可能高达每小时 60 英里，而北卡罗来纳州内陆地区以及弗吉尼亚州和马里兰州沿海部分地区的阵风风速将接近每小时 50 英里。

这些大风可能会吹倒树木或电线，导致部分地区停电。

风速的增加是由于正在形成的风暴与加拿大东南部的高压区相互作用造成的。这两者会挤压它们之间的空气，从而使沿海地区风速加快。

风暴越强，风速就越高。这场正在形成的风暴预计不会发展成超级强​​风暴，但由于它靠近海岸，因此其强风威胁不容忽视。

东北风暴预计将于周一下午完全形成，届时沿海地区的风速也将达到峰值，降雨也将开始蔓延至整个地区。虽然突发洪水威胁不大，但狂风暴雨的天气会让人难以忍受。

北卡罗来纳州外滩群岛部分地区可能出现超过每小时60英里的阵风，而每小时40至50英里的阵风正向北卡罗来纳州和弗吉尼亚州南部的95号州际公路沿线地区移动。更北一些的沿海地区，即使风暴仍徘徊在卡罗来纳州附近，特拉华州和新泽西州沿海部分地区也可能出现每小时30英里的阵风。

周二北卡罗来纳州和大西洋中部地区可能出现类似强风，预计到周三风力只会略有减弱。下周后半周的天气预报则更不确定，很大程度上取决于沿海风暴在卡罗来纳州附近徘徊的时间长短。

无论如何，沿海地区的微风到大风天气可能会持续到下周末。

这是这场风暴带来的又一长期威胁。至少在周日早晨涨潮时，外滩群岛部分地区以及切萨皮克湾一带就可能出现轻微的沿海洪水，因为强风会将更多海水推向岸边。

到周日下午涨潮时，水位将进一步上升，届时一些地区可能会出现中度沿海洪水，尤其是在弗吉尼亚州和北卡罗来纳州交界处附近。

周一的高潮期间可能还会出现中度洪水，类似的情况至少会持续到本周中期。部分地区可能会出现严重洪水，具体取决于风暴与海岸线的距离。

伴随沿海洪水威胁而来的是，本周末晚些时候以及下周，汹涌的海浪和更大的海浪可能会袭击海岸。

这种持续数日的巨浪冲击可能会加剧持续的海滩侵蚀，尤其是在外滩群岛的部分地区，近年来那里的房屋已经坍塌入海，道路也被冲毁。

一旦沿海风暴在卡罗莱纳州沿海形成，预计它将在那里持续数天，甚至可能长达一周。

这场风暴形成时不会是热带风暴：热带风暴是由温暖的海水驱动的，而这场风暴将沿着带来本周末降温的同一股冷锋形成。

然而，它在近岸温暖水域上空停留的时间越长，就越有可能变成一个混合系统——既受海洋热量的影响，又受大气中的能量的影响。

这场风暴不太可能发展成热带风暴，但下周晚些时候也并非完全不可能。如果真的发展成热带风暴，影响不会有太大变化；国家飓风中心只需密切关注即可。