NORFOLK, Va. — Heavy rainfall and increasing winds battered eastern North Carolina as Tropical Storm Idalia moved through the coastal areas Thursday morning. By the afternoon, conditions improved as the storm move out into the Atlantic.
At 8 p.m. Thursday, the storm's center was about 445 miles northwest of Bermuda with maximum sustained winds of 65 miles per hour, according to the National Hurricane Center.
Its impacts were felt as far as the Outer Banks and even the Hampton Roads area of Virginia on Thursday morning, but conditions improved through the afternoon.
The storm made landfall Wednesday morning on Florida's Big Bend as a Category 3 hurricane before moving into Georgia and the Carolinas, leaving catastrophic damage in its path. While over southeastern Georgia, the storm weakened into a tropical storm.
RELATED: Idalia updates: Storm path, weather conditions, school closures in North Carolina, Coastal Virginia
The center of circulation is now out to sea. With Idalia being a relatively quick mover, the rain tapered off after lunchtime, and the Hampton Roads region saw some sunshine breaking through the clouds at times leading up to the early evening. High temperatures were in the middle to upper 70s.
The storm coupled with higher pressure northwest of the region produced gusty northeast winds over North Carolina and southeast Virginia.
The gusty northeast winds are driving tide levels well above normal and minor to moderate tidal flooding is expected for Hampton Roads.
Coastal Flood Warnings and Wind advisory for Hampton Roads
On the Virginia side, Coastal Flood Watches and Warnings for Hampton Roads, the Middle Peninsula and the Eastern Shore.
The Coastal Flood Watch and Warnings will expire early Friday morning.
The Tropical Storm Warning, Storm Surge Watch, and Flash Flood Warnings have expired.
Wind gusts up to 30-40 mph are possible for Virginia Beach and the Outer Banks through Friday.