Strong winds and floods struck several countries in northern Europe as the region endured more heavy rain on Friday that forecasters say will continue into the weekend.
Forecasters say the storm system is expected to be at or near hurricane intensity as it makes landfall in the Leeward Islands on Friday. Up to 10 inches of rain and 3 feet of storm surge could follow.
At the heart of the festival are the worm-racing contests. The winning worm has the honor of serving as kind of a local fall version of Groundhog Day’s Punxsutawney Phil, predicting the severity of the upcoming winter.
Heavy rains knocked out several subway and commuter rail lines, stranded drivers, flooded basements and shuttered a terminal at LaGuardia Airport for hours. More downpours were expected Saturday.
Ophelia could bring up to 5 inches of rain across the Mid-Atlantic region into Sunday. Threats of storm surges have dissipated, but flooding risk remains, even as Ophelia is on track to weaken.
The fall equinox is when both hemispheres receive almost equal amount of daylight and darkness. In the Northern Hemisphere, the days grow shorter. The fall equinox arrives at 2:50 a.m. ET Saturday.