The original item was published from September 30, 2022 9:37 AM to September 30, 2022 10:02 AM
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Here is the latest information from the NWS. Ira is expected to make landfall in South Carolina later today (not Wilmington, NC which would have been the worst-case scenario for us).
A Wind Advisory is in effect until 4 am tomorrow which means gusty winds could blow around unsecured objects. Tree limbs could be blown down and a few power outages may result. The Hourly Graph shows winds and gusts increasing throughout the day with gusts reaching the low- to mid- 50mph range around 4-5 pm. The NWS reports the possibility still exists for a few tornadoes late this afternoon through tonight across eastern and southeast VA as well as northeast NC. Temperatures are included in the graph to show that any power outages will not be as detrimental as it would have been had they been up in the 90s.
The NWS is also saying an additional 3 to 4 (locally 4 to 6) inches of rain is possible through Saturday morning, especially across the southeast portion of the area. The heaviest rain will fall later today through tonight; the Hourly Graph suggests that will begin around 2 pm.
The Tide Graph indicates today’s 1 pm high tide will reach 5.8’ which is in the Moderate flood stage and will be more than a nuisance on the roadways. Fortunately, this is the one high tide of real concern at this point as they fall significantly afterward (for now…). A Coastal Flood Warning is in effect until 6 am tomorrow. A Flood Watch is in effect for our area until 8 am tomorrow (Saturday).
Hot off the presses: The city is making the York Garage and the Brambleton Lot available at no cost for residents to park their vehicles away from low-lying areas.
City crews have all reported in and have been working to have everything checked, cleaned, fueled, and buttoned up. They remain ready to respond as the situation dictates.
Comms to continue pushing out a message regarding the use of the WAZE app to get around those trouble spots.
The following conference calls are scheduled:
- 10 am with SEVA VOAD (Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster)
- 10:30 am with NWS and VDEM
- 1 pm with Dominion Energy
Action Item: CHARGE YOUR DEVICES AHEAD OF THIS EVENING.
More to come this afternoon.
Thanks!
Jim Redick
Director, Emergency Preparedness and Response