Cindy’s major flood threat to persist as storm unleashes up to a foot of rain

Cindy will continue to release torrential rainfall and raise the risk of flooding even as the storm crosses the interior of the eastern United States into this weekend.

While there will be a continued risk of a couple of tornadoes being spawned by locally severe storms, flooding will be the most far-reaching impact.

The combination of saturated soil, heavy rain and hilly terrain can lead to life-threatening flash flooding.

In flat terrain, water will collect on area streets and highways and can lead to difficult travel. Motorists will need to seek an alternate route.

A general 2-4 inches of rain is forecast to fall over parts of the Tennessee and Ohio valleys, as well as parts of the central Appalachians and mid-Atlantic through Friday night.

Cindy, as a tropical rainstorm, will interact with an approaching push of cooler air from the north. At the local level, 4-8 inches of rain can fall, which will enhance the risk of flooding.

People in this area should be alert for rapidly rising water on streams, which can flood adjacent roadways.

Only the increasing forward speed of the tropical feature will shorten the duration of the rain and may limit the flooding to isolated areas upon reaching the mid-Atlantic coast.

"The most likely time for torrential downpours and urban flooding from Washington, D.C., to Philadelphia and New York City is late Friday night into early Saturday," according to AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Dave Dombek.

"Farther south, in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Florida, South Carolina and North Carolina, a plume of tropical moisture will continue to fuel rounds of showers and thunderstorms into Saturday," according to AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Ken Clark.

"These additional downpours in the South can continue flooding at the local level along the Interstate-10 and 20 corridors into this weekend," Clark said.

Never attempt to drive through flooded roads or cross barricades placed by emergency personnel. The road may have been compromised beneath the water. As little as a couple of feet of water can cause a vehicle to temporarily float and be carried downstream.

In mountainous terrain along secondary roads, motorists should be on the lookout for falling debris and washouts.

Cooler and less humid air will spread across the Southeast states during Sunday to Tuesday.

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