National Hurricane Center warns of flooding, tornadoes in Virginia as Ian approaches Carolinas

The National Hurricane Center warned Friday that flooding rains and tornados are possible in southern Virginia Friday evening into Saturday morning as Hurricane Ian strikes the Carolinas with “life-threatening storm surge and hurricane conditions.”

It is estimated that Virginia will see 3 to 6 inches of rain, with a maximum of 8 inches, according to the National Hurricane Center. Flash and urban flooding may hit southeast Virginia Friday, while southwest Virginia may see some flooding late Friday evening or early Saturday morning.

Southeast Virginia also might be struck by tornadoes Friday night into Saturday morning, according to the agency.

However, it is predicted that Hurricane Ian will weaken after it hits landfall and then “rapidly” fall to a post-tropical cyclone. The storm is also expected to dissipate late on Saturday over western North Carolina or Virginia.

On Wednesday, in advance of Hurricane Ian, Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) declared a state of emergency starting on Friday.

“Hurricane Ian is a large, powerful storm, and current predictions indicate that it may impact parts of Virginia later this week into early next week,” said Youngkin.

“We want to ensure that our communities have the resources needed to respond to and recover from any potential effects from the storm. While we recognize that the storm track is still uncertain, I nevertheless encourage all Virginians and visitors to make a plan, have supplies on hand, and follow official sources for the latest forecast information and guidance,” the governor added.