00:00We want to check in with our friend AccuWeather Correspondent Leslie Hudson, who's joining us right now from Virginia Beach
00:05with why conditions may worsen through Thursday. Leslie?
00:13Hey, Jeff. The ongoing saga here in the Hampton Roads area, and again, we're in Virginia Beach at the Gromit
00:23Park, is that this is really much more of a wind and a tidal flooding event than it is a
00:29rain event, like you mentioned.
00:31We've had some rain here in Virginia Beach. It's been off and on throughout the last two days, but really,
00:37it's been that tightening pressure gradient that you talked about that has really been telling the story here along the
00:44Chesapeake Bay.
00:45So over my shoulder, I will pan over to some surfers. There are now several of them in that inlet.
00:52Very dangerous conditions, of course, trying to catch a good wave from that low that is starting to develop and
00:59continue to push northward.
01:01Of course, the lifeguards, there are none over here, but the surfers are doing what they do, and that's trying
01:08to catch a good wave while they can.
01:10But the conditions that we've been talking about here the last 24 to 48 hours is the fact that we're
01:16getting some of that tidal trapping where some of that water gets into these lower-lying areas.
01:22We're up high where we are right now on the boardwalk in Virginia Beach where it will not flood here.
01:26But just down over our shoulder is where it does flood very easily and, of course, into Norfolk, which is
01:32a notorious spot for flooding, is that once that water gets in there, it's not getting pumped back out.
01:39The officials here have closed several of the floodgates in the Hampton Roads area trying to mitigate some of the
01:45flooding concerns.
01:46But the problem is that, again, that standing water, some of it is receding, but not all of it.
01:53And so when we get another high-tide cycle, which we're expecting here in the next couple of hours or
01:57less, that just makes the situation, compounds it, creates a higher tidal inundation, and that, of course, is the difficulty.
02:06Now, this morning, commuters were out trying to brave the elements.
02:10Some folks knew to turn around.
02:12Some folks thought that they could handle the water.
02:15And we found out from a couple of folks what happens when they did that and they tried to cross
02:20the roads.
02:22You just learn to deal with it, but unfortunately, sometimes you still make the mistake.
02:27Oh, I think I can go down that road.
02:29No, not so much.
02:29When high-tide comes back, it's gone down a lot since she's been here since about 730, and it's definitely
02:36receded some since then.
02:38But I imagine when high-tide comes back, it's going to come up again because that storm hasn't moved off
02:44yet.
02:49And, of course, it is that high-tide cycle that he has been talking about that we're going to be
02:55monitoring tonight.
02:56The AccuWeather meteorologists, of course, have been telling us about the concerns as we head through tonight and into tomorrow
03:02again.
03:03But we're still talking about another three to four high-tide cycles before that low pushes to the north
03:08and kind of lessens its grip here in the Chesapeake Bay, Hampton Roads area.
03:13So we'll be watching for that.
03:15We still have about another hour-ish before we start to see some of that inundation make it into those
03:20inland areas.
03:21We'll be sure to head over there next to see what is being delivered over there.
03:27We certainly saw plenty of it this morning.
03:29And, of course, beach erosion, a big concern.
03:32The city officials here have built multiple sand dunes in the hopes of trying to limit some of that overwash
03:38that comes in with these very high, high tides, these high waves, rather.
03:43And so far, the dunes that we've seen here in Virginia Beach are all still holding.
03:48We'll see if that's the case in the next 24 hours or so.
03:51For now, we're reporting live in Virginia Beach.
03:53I'm Leslie Hudson.
03:54We'll send it back over to you.
03:55All right.
03:56Thanks so much.
03:56Tacky with our correspondent, Leslie Hudson, in Virginia Beach.
03:59And, Anna, right up the road, Ocean City, Maryland, also facing some similar conditions.
04:04Yes, and I believe there's a music festival going on this weekend there.
04:09I've been getting some comments on social media asking,
04:12is that going to be okay?
04:13Is my wedding that's outside on the East Coast going to be okay?
04:16Some cruises leaving the East Coast.
04:18Didn't know that happened in the Northeast.
04:20But all of those very much at risk.
04:23I mean, you can tell, already seeing not great conditions there in Ocean City.
04:26And I do want to take a look at the storm reports that we have
04:30because we're seeing the coastal flood reports already come in.
04:33Let's zoom in a little bit more here.
04:35And actually, even more all around Virginia Beach.
04:37That's where Leslie was.
