Rain and storms return to the northeast
The rainy weather returned to the mid-Atlantic and northeasterly in mid-May.
- Parts of central North Carolina are still recovering from the brutal rain that was fueled by remnants of Hurricane Helen in September, so five inches of rain could be found.
- It has been raining recently in some rural areas of South Carolina, Georgia and the Florida Panhandle.
ARLINGTON, Va. — A vast atmospheric river that hit the Mid-Atlantic state with heavy rain on Tuesday wiped out the Mid-Atlantic states on Tuesday, driving the threat of several inches of rain and coastal flooding, predictors said.
According to the National Weather Service, a “slash flood emergency” was declared in parts of western Maryland in the afternoon due to heavy rains and heavy rain. In Alleghany County in southwestern Maryland, the weather department warned residents, “This is a particularly dangerous situation. Look for high altitudes now!”
Flood clocks are issued throughout the region, including Washington, DC, the suburbs of Virginia, West Maryland and parts of West Virginia, the Meteorological Bureau says. Total rainfall of up to 3 inches is expected, with up to 5 inches along Blue Ridge Mountain.
Parts of central North Carolina, still recovering from the brutal rain fueled by remnants of Hurricane Helen in September, could see five inches by Wednesday, the National Weather Service warned. The risk of flash floods extends all the way to Pennsylvania.
The Weather Service office in Morehead City, North Carolina, posted on social media that “will continue to risk heavy rains and strong thunderstorms for the next few days.” “There are multiple ways to get warnings and avoid flooded roads.”
A river in the air is a long, narrow space that transports enormous amounts of water vapor, like a river in the sky. Although the size and strength of atmospheric rivers vary widely, weather services say that the average atmospheric river has roughly the same amount of water vapor as the average water flow at the mouth of the Mississippi River. A very strong atmospheric river can transport that amount of water up to 15 times.
This atmospheric river is trapped in a strong, high-pressure system to the north and hovering in the southeast for several days.
While much of the Mid-Atlantic region experiences moderate to severe drought conditions, rainfall rates can “be heavily high enough to support the flash flood threat,” writes meteorologist Peter Marinax in the National Weather Service’s short-range forecast discussion.
Marinax added that there was a “flood clock shortage” in parts of Virginia and North Carolina.
“Deep fetching” of Atlantic moisture reaches the Great Lakes and the Valleys of Ohio and Tennessee, prompting widespread storms, Marinax said. Thunderstorms become even more isolated on Wednesday, with rain going northeast until Wednesday.
In North Carolina, Asheville’s art and tourism town was devastated by Helen’s rain eight months ago. Homes and businesses were destroyed, bridges and highways were washed away, and water systems were severely damaged.
The area has slowly recovered, with the gorgeous Grand Bohemian Asheville Lodge, which has been closed since Helen and reopened on May 8th after a $20 million renovation.
Currently, the National Weather Service is issuing dangerous weather forecasts for the area, warning of heavy rain and potential flooding through Tuesday. The total rainfall is expected to reach 2 inches at higher elevations east of Asheville, with some areas likely receiving up to 3.5 inches.
A heat wave continued to engulf the Midwest. The recent record has fallen: a surprising 100 degrees in Humboldt, Minnesota, and a 99 degrees in Grand Fork, North Dakota. Many areas on Tuesday were projected to be near record or record highs, with strong winds and dry conditions spurring fire warnings for the majority of the area.
In Kansas City, Missouri, weather services said they continued to warm up, peaking mid-week at highs approaching 90 degrees. Denver was able to see 86 degrees on Tuesday.
The storms moving into the mid-Atlantic Ocean had previously stuck in the Southeast over the weekend, beating several cities with rain. In Georgia, about 7 inches of rain fell in the Savannah and over 3 inches in Augusta. More than four inches of rain fell on Columbia, South Carolina.
Some rural areas in the South Carolina, Georgia and the Florida Panhandle have been dumped in the biggest rain these days, Accuweather reported.
Several rivers in the southeast are expected to reach flood levels later this week. Flood clocks in northern Washington’s northern Virginia and Maryland suburbs are effective, the weather department said. Coastal Flood Advisory has been issued in parts of New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Delaware, with potential flooding and water spikes in low-lying coastal areas.
Coastal cities along the Atlantic, such as Miami and Charleston, South Carolina, are already prone to high-water flooding, and if heavy rains apply pressure to drainage systems where it is already taxed, Accuweather said, could face an increased flood risk.
Contributors: Iris Seton and Will Hoffman, The Asheville Citizen Times
