Weakening Ophelia still poses a risk of coastal flooding and heavy rain in some parts of the US

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Waves generated by Tropical Storm Ophelia crash up on the banks of the Potomac River along Irving Avenue in the town of Colonial Beach in Westmoreland County, Va., on Saturday, Sept. 23, 2023. (Peter Cihelka/The Free Lance-Star via AP)

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A group of beachgoers watch people kiteboarding in the storm surge of Tropical Storm Ophelia on Saturday, Sept. 23, 2023, at the Virginia Beach Oceanfront, in Virginia Beach, Va. (AP Photo/John C. Clark)

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This Saturday, Sept. 23, 2023, 8:16 am EST satellite image provided by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration shows Tropical Storm Ophelia making landfall in North Carolina. (NOAA via AP)

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Waves break along the jetty at Rudee Inlet in Virginia Beach, Va., on Friday, Sept. 22, 2023 as Tropical Storm Ophelia approaches the area. (Kendall Warner/The Virginian-Pilot via AP)

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Nicole Torres, a spokeswoman for the Office of Emergency Management for the city of Annapolis, Md., ties a sandbag on Friday, Sept. 22, 2022 as residents prepared for an approaching storm. (AP Photo/Brian Witte)

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Wind driven waves slam into docks along Irving Avenue as Tropical Storm Ophelia reaches Colonial Beach, in Westmoreland County, Va., on Saturday, Sept. 23, 2023. (Peter Cihelka/The Free Lance-Star via AP)

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The tops of trees blow sideways at the Virginia Beach, Virginia Oceanfront on Friday, Sept. 22, 2023 as Tropical Storm Ophelia approaches the area. Tropical Storm Ophelia was gaining strength as it churned toward the North Carolina coast on Friday, promising a weekend of heavy rain and windy conditions throughout the mid-Atlantic. (Kendall Warner/The Virginian-Pilot via AP)

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Zach Wright, 12, skimboards in floodwaters from the Lafayette River in the Larchmont Neighborhood of Norfolk, Va., Friday, Sept. 22, 2023, as Tropical Storm Ophelia approaches. (Kendall Warner/The Virginian-Pilot via AP)

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Beach-goers brave the weather and walk along the sand at the Virginia Beach Oceanfront on Friday, Sept. 22, 2023, as Tropical Storm Ophelia approaches in Virginia Beach, Va. The storm was gaining strength as it churned toward the North Carolina coast on Friday, promising a weekend of heavy rain and windy conditions throughout the mid-Atlantic. (Kendall Warner/The Virginian-Pilot via AP)

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Nancy and Bob Shoemaker, whose home is next to the water, load sandbags into their car in downtown Annapolis, Md., on Friday, Sept. 22, 2022 in preparation for an approaching storm. Tropical Storm Ophelia has formed off the mid-Atlantic coast and is expected to bring heavy rain, storm surges and windy conditions over the weekend, the National Hurricane Center said. (AP Photo/Brian Witte)

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Scott Bierman, a water taxi driver in Annapolis, Md., said the water taxi service in Maryland’s capital city was shutting down at 6 p.m. Friday, Sept. 22, 2022 due to an intensifying weather system off the mid-Atlantic coast, and the decision has already been made for water taxi service to be closed on Saturday. (AP Photo/Brian Witte)

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Waves break along the jetty at Rudee Inlet in Virginia Beach, Va., on Friday, Sept. 22, 2023, as Tropical Storm Ophelia approaches the area. Tropical Storm Ophelia was gaining strength as it churned toward the North Carolina coast on Friday, promising a weekend of heavy rain and windy conditions throughout the mid-Atlantic. (Kendall Warner/The Virginian-Pilot via AP)

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Beach-goers brave the weather and walk along the boardwalk at the Virginia Beach Oceanfront on Friday, Sept. 22, 2023, as Tropical Storm Ophelia approaches. in Virginia Beach, Va. (Kendall Warner/The Virginian-Pilot via AP)

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Beachgoers braved high winds while walking down the Virginia Beach Boardwalk during Tropical Storm Ophelia on Saturday, Sept. 23, 2023, in Virginia Beach, Va. Winds gusts made the sand sting against any exposed skin. (AP Photo/John C. Clark)

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Several kiteboarders brave the storm surge of Tropical Storm Ophelia on Saturday, Sept. 23, 2023, at the Virginia Beach oceanfront, in Virginia Beach, Va. (AP Photo/John C. Clark)

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Trinity United Methodist Church in Poquoson, Va., opened their parking lot to local residents to park their vehicles in response to Tropical Storm Ophelia on Saturday, Sept. 23, 2023. The City of Poquoson, a local fishing community near NASA Langley Research Center, has low level areas that are prone to flooding. (AP Photo/John C. Clark)

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A man uses a metal detector on the Virginia Beach oceanfront during Tropical Storm Ophelia on Saturday, Sept. 23, 2023, in Virginia Beach, Va. (AP Photo/John C. Clark)

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The Virginia Beach Oceanfront shoreline is marked with sediment from the Atlantic Ocean detailing where the storm surge peaked during high tide as Tropical Storm Ophelia makes her track north on Saturday, Sept. 23, 2023, in Virginia Beach, Va. (AP Photo/John C. Clark)

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Visitors walk the boardwalk of the Virginia Beach Oceanfront during Tropical Storm Ophelia on Saturday, Sept. 23, 2023, in Virginia Beach, Va. (AP Photo/John C. Clark)

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Roads in the Maryus area of Gloucester, Va., are covered by floodwaters after Tropical Storm Ophelia made landfall, bringing rain, damaging winds, and dangerous surges, on Saturday, Sept. 23, 2023. Maryus is a low-level area with a significant amount of saltwater marshland that’s prone to flooding. (AP Photo/John C. Clark)

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Palm trees sway as winds from Tropical Storm Ophelia hits Colonial Beach, in Westmoreland County, Va., on Saturday, Sept. 23, 2023. (Peter Cihelka/The Free Lance-Star via AP)

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A pair of passersby can’t decide whether to approach the waters of the Potomac River as Tropical Storm Ophelia creates waves next to Wilkerson’s Seafood Restaurant along McKinney Boulevard in Colonial Beach, Va., on Saturday, Sept. 23, 2023. (Peter Cihelka/The Free Lance-Star via AP)

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Doris and Warren Todd watch as Tropical Storm Ophelia passes over Colonial Beach in Westmoreland County, Va., on Saturday, Sept. 23, 2023. The couple had just celebrated their 34th wedding anniversary after marrying on Sept. 22, 1989, when hurricane Hugo made landfall in North Carolina. (Peter Cihelka/The Free Lance-Star via AP)

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Doris and Warren Todd walk away from pelting rain as Tropical Storm Ophelia passes over Colonial Beach in Westmoreland County, Va., on Saturday, Sept. 23, 2023. The couple had just celebrated their 34th wedding anniversary after marrying on Sept. 22, 1989, when hurricane Hugo made landfall in North Carolina. (Peter Cihelka/The Free Lance-Star via AP)

By LAURA UNGAR and JONATHAN MATTISE

Nearly a day after being downgraded from a tropical storm, Ophelia still threatened parts of the Northeast on Sunday with coastal flooding, life-threatening waves and heavy rain from Washington to New York City, the National Hurricane Center said.

As Ophelia weakened, a new tropical storm named Philippe brewed in the Atlantic.

Even though Ophelia was downgraded Saturday night, meteorologists warned that swells generated by the storm would affect the East Coast for the rest of the weekend, likely causing dangerous surf conditions and rip currents. Ophelia was also expected to drop 1 to 3 inches (2.5 to 7.6 centimeters) of additional rain over parts of the Mid-Atlantic and New England. Isolated river flooding was also possible.

Ophelia was south of Washington on Sunday morning and was expected to continue moving northeast before turning east and then weakening more over the next two days, according to the hurricane center. Meanwhile, Philippe was 1,175 miles (1,890 kilometers) west of the Cabo Verde Islands, which are off the west coast of Africa. That storm had maximum sustained winds of 50 mph (75 kph).

The National Weather Service said numerous New Jersey communities reported coastal flooding, including, including Sea Isle City and Brielle. Thousands of people in the state remained without power Sunday. NJ.com reported more than 6,000 customers were without electricity Sunday morning, down from a high of 13,000.

MORE ON TROPICAL STORM OPHELIA

Southern East Coast hit by flooding as Ophelia weakens to tropical depression and moves north

Tropical Storm Ophelia off the mid-Atlantic coast producing winds just below hurricane force

Flooding and road closures were also reported in coastal Delaware.

The storm came ashore Saturday near Emerald Isle, North Carolina, with near-hurricane-strength winds of 70 mph (113 kph), but the winds weakened as the system traveled north, the hurricane center said.

Videos from social media showed significant flooding in the state’s riverfront communities such as New Bern, Belhaven and Washington. A few thousand North Carolina homes and businesses remained without electricity Sunday morning, according to poweroutage.us, which tracks utility reports.

Even before making landfall, Ophelia proved treacherous enough that five people, including three children, had to be rescued Friday night by the Coast Guard. They were aboard a 38-foot (12-meter) catamaran stuck in choppy water and strong winds while anchored off Cape Lookout, North Carolina.

On Saturday, Greenville police posted a video on Facebook of an officer rescuing a small pit bull from floodwaters. Police said the dog was tied to a fence and “just inches from drowning” when an officer responded after someone called authorities. Animal protection authorities opened an investigation.

Elsewhere, a rescue team helped the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office evacuate 15 people from a campground between the Pamlico River and the Chocowinity Bay, according to Brian Haines, a spokesperson for the North Carolina Division of Emergency Management.

At the southern tip of North Carolina’s Outer Banks, organizers on Sunday were finally able to open the long-running Beaufort Pirate Invasion, a weekend event centered on the 1747 Spanish attack on the town. Winds tore down the big tent for a banquet planned for Saturday, and several other tents were damaged or shredded.

In other developments, high winds forced New York City officials to suspend ferry service to Rockaway. Other ferries were operating on schedule.

The governors of North Carolina, Virginia and Maryland each declared a state of emergency on Friday.

Scientists say climate change could result in hurricanes expanding their reach into mid-latitude regions more often, making storms like this month’s Hurricane Lee more common.

One study simulated tropical cyclone tracks from pre-industrial times, modern times and a future with higher emissions. It found that hurricanes would track closer to the coasts, including around Boston, New York City and Virginia, and would be more likely to form along the Southeast coast.

In some areas where the storm struck Saturday, the effects were modest.

Aaron Montgomery, 38, said he noticed a leak in the roof of his family’s new home in Williamsburg, Virginia. They were still able to make the hour-long drive for his wife’s birthday to Virginia Beach, where he said the surf and wind were strong but the rain had stopped.

“No leak in a roof is insignificant, so it’s certainly something we have to deal with Monday morning,” he said.

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Ungar reported from Louisville, Kentucky. Mattise reported from Nashville, Tennessee. AP Radio reporter Jackie Quinn in Washington and AP writers Brian Witte in Annapolis, Maryland, Ron Todt in Philadelphia, Sudhin Thanawala in Atlanta, Christopher Weber in Los Angeles and David Collins in Hartford, Connecticut, contributed to this report.

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Follow AP’s climate coverage at: https://apnews.com/hub/climate-and-environment

LAURA UNGAR

Laura covers medicine and science.