Nor'easter could become Tropical Storm Josephine as coastal flooding hits Maryland, Virginia

MARYLAND - A powerful nor’easter spinning off the North Carolina coast is expected to bring days of gusty winds, dangerous surf and coastal flooding to the Mid-Atlantic coastline through Thursday, according to FOX Weather.

What to Expect:

The National Hurricane Center has tagged the storm as Invest 93L, noting it has medium odds of taking on subtropical or tropical characteristics over the next two days. If it develops, it would be named Tropical Storm or Subtropical Storm Josephine.

"As the nor'easter begins to turn out to sea late tomorrow, it will still be over unusually warm water," FOX Weather Hurricane Specialist Bryan Norcross said. "It will be a robust storm at that time, and the fronts that originally powered it... will be fading away."

Regardless of its tropical development, the system is driving moderate coastal flooding and destructive waves into the region. Prolonged periods of wind gusts over 40 mph are the primary concern for the coastline. In Ocean City, Maryland, and the Chesapeake Bay, water levels are expected to rise more than two feet above normal during high tide.

Coastal flood alerts are currently active across coastal Virginia and North Carolina. The highest waves and greatest coastal flooding risks are expected during afternoon and evening high tides, typically between 3 p.m. and 7 p.m.

What's next:

The FOX Forecast Center expects the worst impacts of the storm to last through late Wednesday evening and into Thursday. The system is starting a slow turn out to sea and should eventually track toward Newfoundland, Canada, by the end of the week.

Further south, the storm has caused severe impacts along North Carolina's Outer Banks. A mandatory evacuation remains in effect for visitors on Hatteras Island, where significant ocean overwash is expected and portions of Highway 12 are closed due to flooding.

WeatherNew JerseyVirginiaMaryland