Norfolk, Virginia – Tropical Storm Chantal is expected to bring heavy rain and a risk of flash flooding to southeastern Virginia and eastern North Carolina through 2 p.m. Monday, July 7, as the system crawls northward along the coast.
According to the National Weather Service in Wakefield, Chantal was upgraded from a tropical depression early Saturday with sustained winds of 40 mph and movement at just 2 mph. While wind and storm surge impacts remain minimal for Virginia and North Carolina, excessive rainfall remains the main threat, especially near the coast.
Areas at greatest risk include Norfolk, Virginia Beach, Elizabeth City, and Edenton, where slow-moving downpours could overwhelm drainage systems in urban and flood-prone neighborhoods. The Weather Prediction Center has issued a Marginal Risk for excessive rainfall Sunday and Monday, meaning isolated flash floods are possible.
Officials advise residents to avoid driving through high water, charge devices in case of brief outages, and monitor updates closely as Chantal’s path evolves. Though not a major wind event, the storm’s slow pace increases the risk of soaking rain over the same areas.
Rain is expected to ease by Monday afternoon, but additional alerts may be issued if conditions worsen.
