Hurricane Ophelia weakened slightly and slowed to a crawl today along North Carolina’s Outer Banks, giving the fragile barrier islands a prolonged soaking even as it appeared the storm had not caused severe inland flooding.

Hurricane Ophelia continued its tortuously slow crawl along North Carolina coastline early today as officials feared serious flooding, but do not expect it to make landfall.

The large eye of a weakened Hurricane Isabel crossed the coastal islands off North Carolina today as the storm pounded the coast.