Erratic Hurricane Ophelia formed from an area of disturbed weather at the tail end of a frontal
zone on the 4th over the central and northwest Bahamas.  It strengthened to a tropical
depression on the 6th near Grand Bahama Island, and a tropical storm 115 miles east of
Cape Canaveral as it drifted northward.  The weak steering currents collapsed further,
and Ophelia became a hurricane on the 7th while meandering offshore of easr-central
Florida.  On the 9th, an upper trough attempted to recurve Ophelia into the Westerlies,
and it moved northeast just offshore the Carolinas.   On the 11th, while 235 miles south
of Cape Hatteras, Ophelia began a two-day slow loop before it closed in on North Carolina.
The eyewall moved along the coast as the center recurved just offshore, going over Cape
Fear on the 14th, and passing south of Cape Lookout and Cape Hatteras on the 15th.
As Ophelia stalled yet again on the 16th about 45 miles south-southeast of Cape Hatteras,
it weakened back into a tropical storm.  Finally accelerating northeast late that day, it
brushed by Cape Cod on the 17th before moving near Nova Scotia on the 18th and
Newfoundland on the 19th as an extratropical storm.  The cyclone raced across the Atlantic
and became absorbed by a larger cyclone on the 22nd.  Below is its track, provided by the
National Hurricane Center.

The storm total rainfall maps below were constructed using data from data provided from
NWS River Forecast Centers, additional reports received by the local forecast offices from
their post-tropical cyclone reports, and Environment Canada.