Flood-weary South will once again be the target of heavy rain this week
By
Courtney Travis, AccuWeather senior meteorologist
Published Feb 29, 2020 4:31 PM EDT
On Feb. 29, the River Ely in Cardiff, Wales, was at its highest level in eight years after Storm Jorge caused flooding.
The start of March looks wet again for the southeastern corner of the country as stormy weather aims for the region.
So far in 2020, much of the South hasn't really gotten a break from wet weather, and the first week of March doesn't look much different.
Rain first spread from the central Mississippi River Valley to the eastern Great Lakes region on Monday. That rain spread into parts of the Southeastern states on Monday night.
During the middle portion of the week, the front producing the rain will stall.
When a front stalls, or becomes stationary, several days of precipitation will often ensue for a region. This looks to be the case for the South through much of the first week in March.
"A series of storms will move along the stalled front, generating a general 2-4 inches of rain through Thursday evening," said AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Alex Sosnowski.
The bulk of the rain will occur from Tuesday night to Thursday as a second and larger storm moves slowly eastward from Texas.
The core of the heaviest rain is expected from southern Mississippi to central South Carolina, where an AccuWeather Local StormMax™ of 8 inches is most likely.
Following the recent rain in this area, several inches of rain, even over a few days, can lead to flash flooding. Motorists should use caution if they are caught in a downpour, as it can greatly reduce visibility and lead to standing water on the road.
Rising rivers will also be a concern. Overall, rivers have already reached their crest following the drenching rain from earlier in the month. However, the upcoming rain is likely to slow the rate of recession on many rivers, and it could bring a second rise on some of the rivers across the interior.
In addition to the heavy rain this storm will bring, the warm, moist air pooling in from the Gulf of Mexico may also create severe thunderstorms across the South Tuesday through Wednesday night.
"Large portions of the South Central and Southeastern states, as well as the lower part of the Midwest, have been targeted by relentless rainfall this winter," added Sosnowski.
More than 200 percent of the normal rainfall has fallen across much of this region this year, first in January and then again in February. However, this wet period began even farther back, in the end of 2019.
Jackson, Mississippi, has been one of the most affected locations, where Pearl River flooding forced evacuations last month. Jackson has received nearly 30 inches of rain since Dec. 1, 2019.
The Pearl River only just recently dropped below flood stage on Wednesday, Feb. 26.
Major flooding also occurred along parts of the lower Mississippi and lower Ohio rivers as well.
These rivers, and others, could again creep back up to flood stage by the conclusion of the first week of March.
AccuWeather long-range meteorologists are forecasting even more wet weather to hit the South, especially for the first half of spring. The Spring Equinox is on Thursday, March 19.
Keep checking back on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier and Verizon Fios.
Report a Typo
News / Severe Weather
Flood-weary South will once again be the target of heavy rain this week
By Courtney Travis, AccuWeather senior meteorologist
Published Feb 29, 2020 4:31 PM EDT
On Feb. 29, the River Ely in Cardiff, Wales, was at its highest level in eight years after Storm Jorge caused flooding.
The start of March looks wet again for the southeastern corner of the country as stormy weather aims for the region.
So far in 2020, much of the South hasn't really gotten a break from wet weather, and the first week of March doesn't look much different.
Rain first spread from the central Mississippi River Valley to the eastern Great Lakes region on Monday. That rain spread into parts of the Southeastern states on Monday night.
During the middle portion of the week, the front producing the rain will stall.
When a front stalls, or becomes stationary, several days of precipitation will often ensue for a region. This looks to be the case for the South through much of the first week in March.
"A series of storms will move along the stalled front, generating a general 2-4 inches of rain through Thursday evening," said AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Alex Sosnowski.
The bulk of the rain will occur from Tuesday night to Thursday as a second and larger storm moves slowly eastward from Texas.
The core of the heaviest rain is expected from southern Mississippi to central South Carolina, where an AccuWeather Local StormMax™ of 8 inches is most likely.
Following the recent rain in this area, several inches of rain, even over a few days, can lead to flash flooding. Motorists should use caution if they are caught in a downpour, as it can greatly reduce visibility and lead to standing water on the road.
Rising rivers will also be a concern. Overall, rivers have already reached their crest following the drenching rain from earlier in the month. However, the upcoming rain is likely to slow the rate of recession on many rivers, and it could bring a second rise on some of the rivers across the interior.
In addition to the heavy rain this storm will bring, the warm, moist air pooling in from the Gulf of Mexico may also create severe thunderstorms across the South Tuesday through Wednesday night.
Related:
"Large portions of the South Central and Southeastern states, as well as the lower part of the Midwest, have been targeted by relentless rainfall this winter," added Sosnowski.
More than 200 percent of the normal rainfall has fallen across much of this region this year, first in January and then again in February. However, this wet period began even farther back, in the end of 2019.
Jackson, Mississippi, has been one of the most affected locations, where Pearl River flooding forced evacuations last month. Jackson has received nearly 30 inches of rain since Dec. 1, 2019.
The Pearl River only just recently dropped below flood stage on Wednesday, Feb. 26.
Major flooding also occurred along parts of the lower Mississippi and lower Ohio rivers as well.
These rivers, and others, could again creep back up to flood stage by the conclusion of the first week of March.
AccuWeather long-range meteorologists are forecasting even more wet weather to hit the South, especially for the first half of spring. The Spring Equinox is on Thursday, March 19.
Keep checking back on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier and Verizon Fios.
Report a Typo