Virginia Beach will resume normal operations Tuesday as Ian’s remnants push farther north
By Aya Elamroussi, CNN
Virginia Beach, Virginia, will resume normal operations Tuesday after the threat of flooding from the remnants of post-tropical storm Ian forced the closure of government facilities and schools Monday, officials said, noting they will continue to monitor for possible additional impacts.
The city declared a state of emergency Sunday evening in preparation for widespread flooding Monday as the storm system moved over the Mid-Atlantic region. While officials were expecting coastal water levels to elevate significantly, the region was largely spared from major flooding Monday when tides did not rise as forecast.
The forecast for tides in the area dropped one to two feet early Monday due to winds shifting more north-northwest, the National Weather Service in Wakefield, Virginia, said.
“Water levels are now mainly expected to reach up to moderate flood levels at high tide,” the forecasters added.
The Lynnhaven Inlet’s tidal gauge hit “Major” flood stage Monday afternoon, but “impacts were minimal with forecasted tidal flooding decreasing by at least 1 (foot) from Sunday’s forecasted levels,” Virginia Beach spokesperson Tiffany M. Russell told CNN in an email.
Still, officials in Virginia Beach remain on guard as the risk of flooding lingers.
“The City of Virginia Beach will continue to monitor storm impacts overnight through tomorrow as additional moderate to major tidal flooding is expected over the next few tide cycles,” the city said in a news release Monday.
Virginia Beach is under a coastal flood warning through Tuesday afternoon, and there’s a coastal flood advisory in effect for Williamsburg, Virginia.
On Monday, some areas along Shore Drive in Virginia Beach reported major flooding, the Wakefield office of the weather service said in a tweet.
“We’ve also received some reports of beach erosion and waves reaching and partially overwashing the dune structures” in Currituck County, the local weather service said. “The good news is that tidal levels will slowly recede in the coming days with gradually lower tidal levels expected.”
Ian began its ruinous path through the US when it slammed into southwest Florida as a Category 4 hurricane last Wednesday, killing more than 100 people, officials have said. Nearly 500,000 homes and businesses were still in the dark in Florida early Tuesday after the storm knocked out power and left many without clean tap water.
The storm again made landfall Friday near Georgetown, South Carolina, as a Category 1 hurricane. Four people were killed due to the storm’s impact in North Carolina, officials said. Remnants of the storm continued to drench the region after it weaken into a post-tropical system.
Ian’s remnants forecast to bring more flooding this week
Ian’s remains are expected to remain a flooding threat through mid-week.
“A stubborn upper-level low will remain entrenched over the Mid-Atlantic for at least another day, continuing the rainy, breezy, and cool conditions that have plagued the region since the weekend,” the National Weather Service said Tuesday. “The rainfall will also continue further to the northeast over southern New England.”
Areas along southern New Jersey’s shore saw coastal flooding and high winds Monday, leading to road closures and cars being stranded. Schools in Ocean City, New Jersey, opted to close early Monday due to flooding.
In Atlantic City, which sits along the Jersey Shore, police reported flooding throughout the city and advised people to stay home. The city is under a coastal flood advisory through 9 p.m. Tuesday.
Some drivers in the city became stuck in high water on the roadways.
“You just don’t know how high it is until you get up on it, then I realized, oh my gosh, nothing I could do,” Kellie Iacovone told CNN affiliate WPVI. “The water was up to my thighs.”
A coastal flood warning is also in effect for Dover, Delaware, through 9 p.m. Another coastal flood advisory is in place for Philadelphia also through Tuesday night.
Additional flood watches could be issued later Tuesday due to rainfall, which is forecast between 1 and 2 inches, with some local areas seeing up to 6 inches.
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CNN’s Jennifer Henderson, Robert Shackelford and Raja Razek contributed to this report.
