Ophelia soaks coastal North Carolina

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.

The exposed Outer Banks islands of Ocracoke and Hatteras were still at risk as the storm paralleled the shore just to their east. Thousands of homes and businesses had no electricity.