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Coastal Southeast Bracing for Arrival of Tropical Moisture

Alexis Thornton

3 hours ago

The southeastern corner of the U.S. is bracing for a renewed threat of heavy rain this week, putting residents on edge about flash flooding concerns. Read on for more information about when you can expect the most potent bands of rain, as well as what areas are predicted to get soaked the most.

Southeast Under a Firehose of Moisture, Raising Risk of Flash Flooding

Another round of flooding could inundate the coastal region of the Southeast by the end of the week. Forecasters are warning that up to a foot of rain could fall if a tropical system comes together in the southern Atlantic.

The incoming surge of moisture will raise the risk of flooding in a zone from central North Carolina and down into eastern South Carolina through Wednesday night. More flooding rainfall is on tap for the Atlantic coastline by the latter part of the week and into the weekend.

It has already been a soggy stretch of days for the Southeast. A stalled frontal boundary has been to blame for the persistent rain since the end of last week. While the focal point of the rain has shifted over the last few days, some communities have been caught up in the crosshairs multiple times.

For instance, the swath of land from southwestern Georgia and up into central North Carolina has seen widespread rainfall amounts of 2 to 6 inches since Monday. The short-term forecast is calling for an additional 2 to 4 inches of moisture in this same general area by the time that the sun comes up on Thursday.

There are a number of metro areas under the threat of urban flooding through late Wednesday. These include the South Carolina coastal communities of Myrtle Beach and Charleston, the North Carolina cities of Raleigh and Greenville, and areas as far north as Norfolk, Virginia.

Potential Tropical Weather Maker Lurking?

Tropical Weather Outlook (WFN)

Just as the dry weather begins to push farther inland in the coming days, another potential tropical weather maker could bring an influx of new moisture to the coastal region.

Forecasters are still unsure what path a possible disturbance would take. The current steering breezes indicate that the feature would drift to the northeast away from the coast, sparing a direct impact on the U.S. coastline.

However, even in the absence of a landfall, the system will still usher in heavy rain, the threat of coastal flooding, and rough surf conditions for a zone from Georgia and up into Virginia. The latest forecast models are predicting several inches of rain along the coastline of the Carolinas and Georgia.

Specific Local Forecasts

Looking at the short-term forecast, Raleigh, North Carolina, is expecting the rain to continue through Thursday. Winds will pick up speed on Thursday, hitting speeds of 10 to 15 mph from the north-northeast. After topping out with a high of about 72 on Wednesday, the mercury will inch up into the upper 70s and low 80s by the end of the workweek.

Drier conditions will begin to build over the weekend in Raleigh; however, you cannot rule out the chance of a stray rain shower or thunderstorm popping up in this part of the region. The temperatures will also begin to gradually increase over the weekend with the arrival of more sunshine, reaching the mid to upper 80s by Sunday.

While the inland areas begin to dry out during the back half of the week, the moisture machine will just be getting started along the coast. Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, will continue to see stubborn thunderstorm activity for the next few days. The beach resort town is in store for a stormy Thursday with the potential of heavy rainfall. Highs will hover in the low 80s through early next week in Myrtle Beach.

Heading to the south, the chances of rain and stormy conditions will increase on Thursday in Savannah, Georgia. This threat will continue through the early part of the new week. It will be a muggy stretch of days in Savannah with high humidity levels and temperatures that bounce around in the mid 80s. It will remain warm overnight with lows that bottom out in the mid 70s.

We will continue to update the progression of the potential tropical weather system in the coming days.

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