Chantal, now a tropical depression, still a flood threat for Virginia, say forecasters
Chantal is expected to bring rounds of heavy rain from the Carolinas through southeastern Virginia and southern Delaware by this evening. Rainfall rates of 1-2 inches per hour can lead to flash flooding in some areas.
Tropical Storm Chantal formed July 5 off the South Carolina coast and made landfall just before sunrise the next day near Litchfield Beach, South Carolina. Chantal brought with it strong winds, heavy rain and a storm surge to the area, according to AccuWeather.
As of July 7, Chantal has been downgraded to a tropical depression, said AccuWeather Lead Hurricane Expert Alex DaSilva.
In central Virginia, rainfall amounts have been anywhere from a 1/2 inch to an inch. DaSilva said there isn't going to much additional rain. "Most areas there will probably end up with around an inch of rain."
More: Gov. Youngkin deploys Virginia Swift Water Rescue Teams to aid Texas flood recovery
Staunton and the Shenandoah Valley did not get much rain from this at all, said DaSilva.
"You had to head east of the mountains there to actually see much rain at all. Even Charlottesville, didn't get a whole lot of rain," DaSilva said. "Down toward Lynchburg, they saw more rain. You really had to get into south central Virginia to get the most rain. That was the area hit the hardest of the storm, near the border to North Carolina."
The center of circulation right now is moving northeast of Richmond, DaSilva said.
"Northeastern Virginia could see some pretty heavy rain today," he said. "Some of those areas can get a couple inches of rain. There could be localized flash flooding issues. I would say mid to late afternoon is when things settle down. By this evening, everything should be out of there."
The top rainfall total is 3.77 inches down in southern Virginia, east of Danville, said DaSilva.
"That's the highest that I'm seeing in the state. North Carolina got the most rain. There is an active flash flood warning down there right now."
There could be flooding from some rivers coming up throughout the day and to be mindful of this, he added.
More: Death toll climbs to 81 as flood-ravaged Texas faces more rain; Trump plans visit: Updates
This article originally appeared on Staunton News Leader: Tropical depression Chantal update today for Virginia
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It is uncertain what time the air crew completed rescue efforts. 'The last live rescue, unless there's new information, and I don't believe there is, was made on Friday,' Kerr County Sheriff Larry Leitha said. As searchers agonizingly scour the area for unaccounted flood victims, local officials have been adamant they could not have done more to prevent the tragedy. CNN's Pamela Brown, Andrew Freedman, Emma Tucker, Mary Gilbert, Holly Yan, Alisha Ebrahimji, Alaa Elassar and Dalia Faheid contributed to this report.
