Disaster record
Tropical Storm Ophelia (September 2023) — North Carolina / Mid-Atlantic
Two years after the disaster 0 deaths $450 million
Summary
Tropical Storm Ophelia made landfall near Emerald Isle, North Carolina, on September 23, 2023. It brought wind, storm surge, and flooding to riverfront towns including New Bern, Belhaven, and Washington. Tens of thousands of customers in North Carolina and Virginia lost power.
NHC Tropical Cyclone Report (23 February 2024): no fatalities or injuries. Matches the three-month news floor and the six-month TCR. No revision through 2025-09-23.
Scientific attribution
The storm formed over unusually warm water along the Gulf Stream. Scientists said that extra heat can feed tropical storms. That does not mean climate change was the only cause. There was no World Weather Attribution study of this storm.
Sep 23, 2023 · Eastern North Carolina, landfall near Emerald Isle; rain, wind, and coastal flooding through Virginia, Maryland, and the mid-Atlantic to New Jersey · tropical storm
← All disasters · Findings · Inclusion rules
Messaging tallies
About these tallies
“Core Democratic Officials reviewed” shows how many of the 54 Core Democratic Officials have been examined for this disaster. Scoring rules: Methods.
Democratic framing
Summary
No Core Democratic Official named this storm in the seven-day window. Climate connection is no. Republican obstruction of climate action is no.
North Carolina has no Democratic U.S. senators. Sen. Peter Welch spoke on September 26 about disaster aid and listed storms in Texas, North Carolina, Georgia, and Florida. He did not name this storm. Sens. Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand spoke on September 29 about flooding in New York. They did not name this storm.
Republican framing
No in-window Republican U.S. senator statement naming Tropical Storm Ophelia was found. Gov. Glenn Youngkin declared a Virginia emergency on September 22, the day before the window opened.
Sources
- Tropical Cyclone Report — Tropical Storm Ophelia (AL162023) — NOAA / National Hurricane Center
- Q3 Global Catastrophe Recap — Aon
- Flash flood warnings in New York City region amid deluge — The Washington Post
- Post Tropical Cyclone Report — Tropical Storm Ophelia (NWS Morehead City) — NOAA / National Weather Service
- Post Tropical Cyclone Report — Tropical Storm Ophelia (NWS Wilmington) — NOAA / National Weather Service
- Weakening Ophelia still poses a risk of coastal flooding and heavy rain in some parts of the US — Associated Press
- Southern East Coast hit by flooding as Ophelia weakens to tropical depression and moves north — Associated Press
- Tropical Storm Ophelia makes landfall in North Carolina — NPR
- Southern East Coast hit by flooding as Ophelia weakens to tropical depression and moves north — ABC17 / Associated Press
- Tropical Storm Ophelia Impacts North Carolina — North Carolina Department of Public Safety
- Ophelia 2023 — NWS Newport/Morehead City event review — NOAA / National Weather Service
- Tropical Storm Ophelia forms off the US East Coast — Associated Press
- Tropical Storm Ophelia to rake the U.S. East Coast this weekend — Yale Climate Connections