Downpours to expand across eastern US late this week
By
Kristina Pydynowski, AccuWeather senior meteorologist &
Alex Sosnowski, AccuWeather senior meteorologist
Published Jun 16, 2020 4:04 PM EDT
Rain-weary parts of the Carolinas and southern Virginia will welcome a reprieve from seemingly never-ending heavy rain late this week, but showers and thunderstorms will expand over more of the eastern United States as a system behind the wet pattern slowly unravels.
A storm that has been pestering the Carolinas and southern Virginia with downpours and chilly conditions is finally weakening and drifting northward.
The heaviest rain and greatest concern for flooding focused on Virginia on Wednesday, leading to minor to moderate river flooding along the Roanoke River.
As the downpours continued to hammer locations to the north, hard-hit areas of North Carolina welcomed a much-needed break from the onslaught of heavy rain.
"Sunny Point, North Carolina, has received 11.01 inches from the storm with 9.67 inches falling on Southport, North Carolina, as of Wednesday," AccuWeather Senior Weather Editor Jesse Ferrell said.
Water covered roads in Oak Island, North Carolina, on June 16, 2020. (Sally Ferrell)
Doppler radar estimates have indicated that 10-15 inches of rain has fallen in parts of eastern North Carolina since early June, with the bulk of the rain pouring down during the past week.
"Some gauges close to Southport and Yaupon Beach, near Cape Fear, North Carolina, although unofficial, have indicated from 15 to 16 inches of rain has fallen from the storm," Ferrell added.
Beyond Wednesday, a weakened state of the storm will cause a couple of daily showers and thunderstorms to erupt across parts of the Carolinas and Virginia through at least Saturday.
However, there will be a dramatic reduction in downpours across these states from earlier in the week. Forecasters warn that any slow-moving downpour could still trigger localized flash flooding, especially over an area where the ground is still saturated or rivers running high from the recent deluge.
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The Tar River near Rocky Mount, North Carolina, may not fall below flood stage through at least Thursday.
Due to the forecast northward drift of the storm and its likelihood to weaken and sprawl out over a larger area, some shower and thunderstorm activity will also continue to expand across the mid-Atlantic, New York state and the Ohio Valley through Saturday.
Also during this time, thunderstorms will develop every day across parts of Georgia and Florida as a heat wave grips northern New England and neighboring parts of Canada.
Even though the rain will be less intense and less persistent than it was over parts of the Carolinas and southern Virginia early in the storm's history, there can still be isolated slow-moving downpours that could trigger highly localized urban flooding in parts of the Northeast and the Southeast.
For those planning outdoor activities, the afternoon hours are likely to be the most active of the days later this week and into Saturday when compared to the morning and overnight hours.
As the storm weakens and drifts northward, with the aid of more frequent breaks of sunshine, temperatures will trend upward from their out-of-season levels in the Carolinas and southern Virginia.
By the end of the week, highs in most areas of the Carolinas and southern Virginia will generally be in the 80s F. When combined with an uptick in humidity levels, it will feel considerably warmer compared to highs in the 60s and 70s on Tuesday and Wednesday. AccuWeather RealFeel® Temperatures will be topping 90 in much of this region during the afternoon hours by the weekend, which is typical of mid- to late June.
Keep checking back on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier and Verizon Fios.
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News / Severe Weather
Downpours to expand across eastern US late this week
By Kristina Pydynowski, AccuWeather senior meteorologist & Alex Sosnowski, AccuWeather senior meteorologist
Published Jun 16, 2020 4:04 PM EDT
Rain-weary parts of the Carolinas and southern Virginia will welcome a reprieve from seemingly never-ending heavy rain late this week, but showers and thunderstorms will expand over more of the eastern United States as a system behind the wet pattern slowly unravels.
A storm that has been pestering the Carolinas and southern Virginia with downpours and chilly conditions is finally weakening and drifting northward.
The heaviest rain and greatest concern for flooding focused on Virginia on Wednesday, leading to minor to moderate river flooding along the Roanoke River.
As the downpours continued to hammer locations to the north, hard-hit areas of North Carolina welcomed a much-needed break from the onslaught of heavy rain.
"Sunny Point, North Carolina, has received 11.01 inches from the storm with 9.67 inches falling on Southport, North Carolina, as of Wednesday," AccuWeather Senior Weather Editor Jesse Ferrell said.
Water covered roads in Oak Island, North Carolina, on June 16, 2020. (Sally Ferrell)
Doppler radar estimates have indicated that 10-15 inches of rain has fallen in parts of eastern North Carolina since early June, with the bulk of the rain pouring down during the past week.
"Some gauges close to Southport and Yaupon Beach, near Cape Fear, North Carolina, although unofficial, have indicated from 15 to 16 inches of rain has fallen from the storm," Ferrell added.
Beyond Wednesday, a weakened state of the storm will cause a couple of daily showers and thunderstorms to erupt across parts of the Carolinas and Virginia through at least Saturday.
However, there will be a dramatic reduction in downpours across these states from earlier in the week. Forecasters warn that any slow-moving downpour could still trigger localized flash flooding, especially over an area where the ground is still saturated or rivers running high from the recent deluge.
CLICK HERE FOR THE FREE ACCUWEATHER APP
The Tar River near Rocky Mount, North Carolina, may not fall below flood stage through at least Thursday.
Due to the forecast northward drift of the storm and its likelihood to weaken and sprawl out over a larger area, some shower and thunderstorm activity will also continue to expand across the mid-Atlantic, New York state and the Ohio Valley through Saturday.
Also during this time, thunderstorms will develop every day across parts of Georgia and Florida as a heat wave grips northern New England and neighboring parts of Canada.
Related:
Even though the rain will be less intense and less persistent than it was over parts of the Carolinas and southern Virginia early in the storm's history, there can still be isolated slow-moving downpours that could trigger highly localized urban flooding in parts of the Northeast and the Southeast.
For those planning outdoor activities, the afternoon hours are likely to be the most active of the days later this week and into Saturday when compared to the morning and overnight hours.
As the storm weakens and drifts northward, with the aid of more frequent breaks of sunshine, temperatures will trend upward from their out-of-season levels in the Carolinas and southern Virginia.
By the end of the week, highs in most areas of the Carolinas and southern Virginia will generally be in the 80s F. When combined with an uptick in humidity levels, it will feel considerably warmer compared to highs in the 60s and 70s on Tuesday and Wednesday. AccuWeather RealFeel® Temperatures will be topping 90 in much of this region during the afternoon hours by the weekend, which is typical of mid- to late June.
Keep checking back on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier and Verizon Fios.
Report a Typo