State of Emergency Declared Ahead of Nor'easter, Possible Hurricane

NOAA satellite image shows precipitation off of coast that is expected to be pulled back over area bringing rain and winds to Northern Virginia Friday and Saturday.

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Although most of the weather talk Wednesday is on Hurricane Joaquin churning out in the Atlantic — and potentially threatening the East Coast, including Virginia — local forecasters on Wednesday are saying Northern Virginia will “definitely” get hit with heavy rain even before any potential hurricane.

Gov. Terry McAuliffe has declared a State of Emergency for the entire Commonwealth ahead of the storms.

Before Joaquin, a Nor’easter is expected to hit Northern Virginia starting Friday afternoon, before any possible hurricane, socking the area with heavy rain and wind, and creating conditions for coastal flooding in areas along the Potomac River, and bringing possible downed trees and power outages through Saturday, according to NBC-4.

NWS is calling for 5” to 10” of rain between Thursday and Sunday, with a chance of higher amounts in localized areas. The best chance for heavy rains is Friday and Friday night and then again on Sunday when the effects of Hurricane Joaquin possibly hit the area, according to the weather service.

“A prolonged period of heavy rainfall is looking more likely Friday through the weekend,” the National Weather Service noted Wednesday afternoon. “...and that heavy rain is likely regardless of the eventual track of Joaquin.”

Here’s a look at the National Weather forecast for Northern Virginia for the next five days:

• Thursday: Rain likely. Cloudy, with a high near 61. North wind 11 to 13 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%. New precipitation amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch possible.
• Thursday Night: Rain. Low around 56. North wind 14 to 16 mph, with gusts as high as 26 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%. New precipitation amounts between a half and three quarters of an inch possible.
• Friday: Rain. The rain could be heavy at times. High near 60. Breezy, with a north wind 18 to 21 mph, with gusts as high as 26 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%.
• Friday Night: Rain. The rain could be heavy at times. Low around 55. Breezy. Chance of precipitation is 100%.
• Saturday: Rain. High near 68. Breezy. Chance of precipitation is 80%.
• Saturday Night: Rain. Low around 60. Breezy. Chance of precipitation is 80%.
• Sunday: Rain likely. Cloudy, with a high near 68. Chance of precipitation is 60%.
• Sunday Night: Rain likely. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 56. Chance of precipitation is 60%.
• Monday: A chance of rain. Partly sunny, with a high near 67. Breezy. Chance of precipitation is 40%.
• Monday Night: A chance of rain. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 55. Chance of precipitation is 30%.