How to prepare for Tropical Storm Ophelia; how storm will impact Philadelphia area
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- The area of Virginia Beach was placed under a state of emergency Friday and several schools in the area were dismissed early before things got really rough.
READ MORE: Tropical Storm Ophelia to bring rain, flooding to Philadelphia, Jersey Shore this weekend
Just like in the Philadelphia area, cancellations for weekend events are starting to roll in.
Parts of our area are expected to see heavy flooding which raises some concerns.
Chief Meteorologist Bill Kelly breaks down how to prepare for Tropical Storm Ophelia.
Tips on how to prepare for the storm
- Charge all of your devices such as laptops, phones, iPads/tablets, etc. Because of the possibility of dealing with some power outages in the area on Saturday and you would want to have electronic devices ready to go.
- Prep any food/water you might need
- Put gas in generators. You do not want to be dealing with a potentially long line of traffic for last minute gas.
- Download the CBS News Philadelphia app. The NEXT Weather team will have an extensive plan with extended coverage and don't forget our newscast that will be online, on air, and on stream.
Ophelia is a strong tropical storm with 75 mph winds moving up to the northwest at about 13-15 mph and it will continue to move north. The tropical storm is going to continue north up the I-95 corridor.
By the time it gets near the Philadelphia area, the storm will be seriously downgraded.
The storm is going to move overhead by Sunday and on into Monday.
How the storm will impact the Philadelphia area on Saturday
- Expectations of 2"- 4" of heavy rain with a flood threat
- Gusty winds going about 20-40 mph most of Saturday
