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ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) — Tropical Storm Ophelia gained strength as it churned toward the North Carolina coast on Friday, promising a weekend of heavy rain and windy conditions throughout the mid-Atlantic.Forecasters issued a hurricane watch for parts of eastern North Carolina, saying Ophelia showed the potential to gather even more strength as it passes over warm Gulf Stream waters. The storm was expected to make landfall in North Carolina on Saturday morning and dump as much as 7 inches (17.7 centimeters) of rain across portions of the state and into southeast Virginia.The intensifying weather system spun into a tropical storm in the afternoon and by nighttime was producing maximum sustained winds of 70 mph (113 kph), according to the U.S. National Hurricane Center. At around 8 p.m. forecasters said Ophelia was about 90 miles (145 kilometers) south of Cape Lookout, North Carolina, and heading north-northwest at 12 mph (19 kph).Water levels were rising along portions of the North Carolina coast, and a storm surge warning was in effect for some areas. Surges between 3 and 5 feet (0.9 and 1.5 meters) were forecast for parts of the state, the hurricane center said.The governors of North Carolina, Virginia and Maryland declared a state of emergency. Some schools closed early as communities prepared for the storm’s arrival, and several weekend events were canceled.“We are expecting an extended period of strong winds, heavy rainfall, and elevated tides," Maryland Gov. Wes Moore said in an evening statement.Nancy Shoemaker and her husband Bob stopped by a waterside park in downtown Annapolis, Maryland's capital, to pick up sandbags to help protect their waterfront home.Last year, at the end of October, they experienced a big surge of water that came into their yard and even washed some sandbags away.“We’re hoping it won’t be that way this time,” Nancy Shoemaker said. “If we have a lot of wind and a lot of surge, it can look like the ocean out there, so that’s a problem.”A storm surge warning was in effect from Beaufort Inlet, North Carolina, to Chincoteague, Virginia, and a tropical storm warning was issued from Cape Fear, North Carolina, to Fenwick Island, Delaware.Ophelia was already affecting water taxis in Annapolis, where driver Scott Bierman said service would shut down at 6 p.m. and the decision had been made to close Saturday.“We don’t operate when it’s going to endanger passengers and or damage vessels,” Bierman said.It’s not uncommon for one or two tropical storms — or even hurricanes — to form right off the East Coast each year, said Michael Brennan, director of the National Hurricane Center.“We’re right at the peak of hurricane season, we can basically have storms form anywhere across much of the Atlantic basin,” Brennan said.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 and Virginia and be more likely to form along the Southeast coast.North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper issued his state's emergency declaration aiming to expedite preparations and help provide a swift response.“The storm’s path has been difficult to predict and we want to ensure that farmers, first responders and utility crews have the tools necessary to prepare for severe weather,” Cooper said.Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin's executive order also sought to ease response and recovery efforts.“We want to ensure that all communities, particularly those with the greatest anticipated impact, have the resources they need to respond and recover from the effects of this storm,” Youngkin said.The governor encouraged residents to prepare an emergency kit and follow the weather forecast closely.Schools in coastal areas of North Carolina and Virginia announced plans to dismiss students early Friday and cancel after-school and weekend activities.The North Carolina Ferry System announced it was suspending several routes and the State Emergency Response Team planned to move to an enhanced watch Friday to ease coordination of resources, the governor’s office said.Meanwhile, Hurricane Nigel was downgraded to a post-tropical cyclone centered about 640 miles (1,030 kilometers) northwest of the Azores, with maximum sustained winds of 70 mph (110 kph). There were no associated coastal watches or warnings as the storm moved northeast at 37 mph (59 kph), the hurricane center said in its final update on the system Friday morning.___Brumfield reported from Silver Spring, Maryland. AP Radio reporter Jackie Quinn in Washington and AP reporter Lisa Baumann in Washington state contributed.

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Nicole Torres, a spokeswoman for the Office of Emergency Management for the city of Annapolis, Md., ties a sandbag 

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The storm was expected to make landfall in North Carolina on Saturday morning and dump as much as 7" of rain across portions of the state and into southeast Virginia.

Tropical Storm 'Ophelia' Just Off Mid-Atlantic Coast 

This was the third season Elijah Browning took part in the American Ninja Warrior competition on NBC, and the Tennessee athlete is only 18-years-old. That’s remarkable. “Super-blessed to get my dream handed to me a little early,” explains Elijah. He had been competing in Ninja Warrior-type local competitions since he was ten years old, hoping to be trained up when he became old enough to compete for the national TV production. At the time a contestant was required to be at least 19 years old. But something unexpected happened for Elijah. “I got a call out-of-the-blue when I was 16-years-old” from the host of American Ninja Warrior offering an age exception and invitation.The competition “is the most intimidating thing I’ve ever done, by far … and also the greatest reward.” Elijah details this in our <a href="https://cdn.corpemf.com/news/66653.mp3">complete podcast interview</a>.&nbsp;He also points to his support team, including his mother, Renee, who was on-set with him, helping with mindset encouragement. Elijah sees the Ninja Warrior competition as “70% mental, 30% physical.” Reflecting back on his first season of show competition (Season 13), “I looked at my mom and I was like – ‘I don’t think I can do this.'” Elijah admits he was feeling “shaky, and I’m about the throw up, and I’m so nervous. Me and my mom grabbed a couple of other Ninjas who I looked up to, who were Christians, and they just prayed over me. And they’re like, ‘God, I pray that you give Elijah peace and he’ll be able to go out there and do what he does.' And if not for that moment, I still don’t know if I would have gone out there, but after that prayer I was like, ‘Man, I trained my whole life for this. I know I can do it. Let’s go.' And I ended up being one of five players that night on the show. It was a huge triumphant moment to start my career off with a buzzer and it led to a lot of success in the future.”On the TV season just ended, Elijah made it all the way into the finals, to “the last obstacle in stage 3, which is only 4 stages, so I was right there at the end. And I ended up placing 9th out of everybody in our pack this year. So, pretty awesome season.” In our podcast, Elijah shares the tough task of having to race against his best friend, Kaden, and how he balances that with his friendship and faith.&nbsp;This year’s winner was Vance Walker, who, despite cerebral palsy, finished impressively. He is only the third person in 15 years of the competition to win the million-dollar award – and he, too, is only 18. Although the players are fierce competitors, they also support one another. Elijah told us, “Congrats to Vance. He killed it man – and he proved to everyone that it can be done, especially at a young age, which is really, really cool.”From a mother’s point of view, how has the family been able to handle all of this? “Lots of prayer,” Renee smiled. “It’s been an amazing journey and we feel so blessed that God has opened the doors he’s opened for us to be on this American Ninja Warrior journey.”&nbsp;“I saw a dream in Elijah. I saw a spark. I knew that he had the drive to push for what he really wanted to do. And I knew this was going to be a passion for him, so we just dove in headfirst and God just opened up amazing doors and allowed us to build relationships all over the country that we just value so much.”Facing the real obstacles that life bringsRenee shares, “Life is filled with lots of obstacles. Ninja Warrior has been a great metaphor for the obstacles in life – and he’s been able to walk through those – and know that failure is a part of living life and he’s not going to win every competition. He is not going to do great on every course. And a lot of kids and people are watching how he responds (on the TV show), and I know that he relies on his faith in the Lord to help him to have the best attitude even when he doesn’t feel like he’s done his best.”Renee also shares that the Browning family is currently walking through a major obstacle. She is being treated for breast cancer, “and so I’m going through some pretty intense treatments right now, but we’re just seeing how God is right here with us through this obstacle,” and she thanks God for the “incredible support system” she and her family has, saying “we have joy through this journey and God has been so faithful…”In our complete podcast interview below, Elijah shares about gym workshops he’s holding to help young people identify the obstacles in their own lives, and lay in a course to overcome. And you may be amazed at all the other things going on in Elijah’s life and his plans for the future.<figure class="media"><oembed url="https://cdn.corpemf.com/news/66653.mp3"></oembed></figure>Video: Elijah in action<figure class="media"><oembed url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jf5iuIdZ6dk"></oembed></figure><figure class="media"><oembed url="https://www.instagram.com/p/CxMHHxCst9L/"></oembed></figure><figure class="image"><img src="https://cdn.corpemf.com/news/66654.jpg" alt="Elijah - American Ninja Warrior"><figcaption>[Photo Credit: Provided] Elijah - American Ninja Warrior</figcaption></figure>&nbsp;&nbsp;

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“I saw a dream in Elijah. I saw a spark. I knew that he had the drive to push for what he really wanted to do. And I knew this was going to be a passion for him, so we just dove in headfirst, and God just opened up amazing doors…”  - Mom, Renee

An American Ninja Warrior...For Christ (+podcast)

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