UPDATE: Potent storm forces Kaine to declare emergency

Remnants of Ida will continue to sweep across eastern and central Virginia tomorrow and bring coastal flooding, winds and as much as 7 inches of rain in isolated areas.

“This will be a prolonged period of heavy northeast winds, and we are issuing moderate to severe flood warnings” for coastal Virginia, said Mike Montefresco, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service at Wakefield.

This evening, Gov. Timothy M. Kaine declared a state of emergency in response to the forecasts. The declaration mobilizes state agencies to prepare for the threat of flooding over a wide swath of Virginia.

The National Weather Service office in Wakefield has expanded a flood watch that applies through 6 p.m. tomorrow, and forecasters say the Richmond area can expect 2 to 5 inches of rain in that period.

Montefresco said rain will extend into Saturday with clearing not expected until Sunday.

In coastal areas of Virginia, emergency officials are monitoring low-lying areas where some evacuations may be necessary because of high water, the weather service said.

For eastern Virginia, wind gusts are expected to reach 60 mph tomorrow.

Key time frames for flooding problems will extend from the early morning hours — roughly from 4 to 6 a.m. Thursday — and again 12 hours later, when tides are at their highest.