Latest news with #StormMax
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Climate
- Yahoo
Southeast faces dangerous flash flooding as heavy rain returns
Torrential downpours will lead to dangerous flash flooding from central North Carolina to central Georgia into Tuesday night before more rounds of flooding rain unfold near the Atlantic coast later this week and through the weekend, AccuWeather meteorologists warn. The zone from central Georgia to parts of western and central North Carolina has received 2-5 inches of rain since Monday, with an additional 2-5 inches of rain predicted from Tuesday to Tuesday night. The AccuWeather Local StormMax™ is 8 inches for this latest 24-hour period. Small streams and rivers were already swollen by rain that has drenched the region since late last week. However, upcoming river flooding and flash flooding will not be limited to rivers that have surged. The new rain into Tuesday night can quickly bring small streams out of their banks and moderate rises on some of the rivers. Rainfall rates in this zone will vary from hour to hour, but they can approach 1-3 inches per hour. At that rate, storm drains will be easily overwhelmed and small streams will surge rapidly. The metro areas at risk for significant flash urban flooding into Tuesday night include: •North Carolina: Charlotte, Greensboro, Winston-Salem, Raleigh, Asheville•South Carolina: Greenville, Spartanburg, Columbia, Anderson•Georgia: Atlanta Some of the heavy rain will fall on areas still recovering from Helene's deluge last the app? Unlock AccuWeather Alerts™ with Premium+ From later Tuesday night to Thursday, a wedge of dry air will expand southwestward across the Virginia, Carolina and Georgia piedmont areas, ending the rain or reducing it to showers. There will be some locally heavy storms in central North Carolina to part of the South Carolina Midlands and Low Country at midweek, which can cause flooding. As drying expands inland for the middle and latter part of the week, downpours are forecast to ramp up near the Carolina and Georgia coasts, due to an anticipated budding tropical storm. Weak steering breezes may cause downpours to linger around the coastline for days, regardless of whether a tropical storm develops. The rainfall would be more intense if a storm develops. The new expanse of downpours to inland locations late this week and this weekend may depend on the track and strength of the tropical entity. From Thursday to Sunday, several inches to a foot of rain could fall along the Carolina and Georgia coasts. Depending on the inland extent of the downpours, that rainfall would lead to flooding in urban areas and along some of the region's streams and rivers. Coastal communities such as Wilmington, North Carolina; Savannah, Georgia; and Charleston and Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, may want to closely monitor the forecast in the coming days. Want next-level safety, ad-free? Unlock advanced, hyperlocal severe weather alerts when you subscribe to Premium+ on the AccuWeather app. AccuWeather Alerts™ are prompted by our expert meteorologists who monitor and analyze dangerous weather risks 24/7 to keep you and your family safer.
Yahoo
04-05-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Soggy South Central states: Intense downpours to renew flooding risk
Starting early this week, a rain-soaked pattern will expand throughout the South Central states, generating a risk for stream and river flooding across the region. While the most widespread threat is expected to be frequent downpours that can inundate roadways and allow already elevated streams and waterways to approach their banks, AccuWeather meteorologists warn that some locations will also face the threat of severe thunderstorms this week. Notable drought in place in Texas, Southwest Areas across southern and western Texas into New Mexico are in dire need of the rain, with levels of extreme and even exceptional drought currently being reported according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. A city like Midland, Texas, has only recorded just over half an inch of rain so far this year, which is roughly 20% of their historical average rainfall to this point. Any rain that reaches this corridor of West Texas will be beneficial given the parched conditions, but may runoff and struggle to be sufficiently absorbed by the hard and compacted soils. Farther east, there is no drought from the eastern suburbs of Houston to Little Rock, Arkansas, and New Orleans. Some of these areas are still reeling from the heavy Mississippi Valley rainfall over the last month or more that has trickled downstream, inundating low-lying areas and the southernmost watersheds across eastern Louisiana and western Mississippi. With repeat downpours in the forecast for much of this week, residents across eastern Texas and Louisiana are advised to monitor when the heaviest rounds may arrive. Intense and frequent rainfall could quickly spell trouble for travelers along portions of interstates 10, 20, 30 and the app? Unlock AccuWeather Alerts™ with Premium+ "The greatest flood risk is primarily due to stream and river flooding, given the notable rain that has fallen over the last few weeks. Areas most susceptible can include locations from Houston to cities in Louisiana like Lake Charles, Baton Rouge and New Orleans," explained AccuWeather Lead Storm Warning Meteorologist Timothy Richards. Rounds of heavy rain this week As a slow-moving storm advances eastward out of the Southwest and toward the western Gulf Coast states over the upcoming days, a wet and stormy pattern will grip the region. An influx of moisture flowing out of the Gulf will help to supply the region with rain and thunderstorms through at least Thursday, forecasters say. Showers and thunderstorms will begin to impact far eastern New Mexico and parts of Colorado by late Sunday, then will push eastward into the Texas and Oklahoma panhandles by Monday and Tuesday. While a widespread region will pick up anywhere from 1-2 inches of rain, amounts on the order of 2-4 inches will be possible from eastern Texas, southern Arkansas and Louisiana to central Mississippi. The AccuWeather Local StormMax™ for heavy rainfall through midweek is 8 inches. "This pattern can be a compounding issue with how much rain has fallen across the region lately, that the ground will already be fairly saturated and additional heavy rain will not be as easily absorbed," noted Richards. Want next-level safety, ad-free? Unlock advanced, hyperlocal severe weather alerts when you subscribe to Premium+ on the AccuWeather app. AccuWeather Alerts™ are prompted by our expert meteorologists who monitor and analyze dangerous weather risks 24/7 to keep you and your family safer.
Yahoo
17-04-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Life-threatening flash floods threaten Arkansas, Missouri on Easter weekend
A dangerous flooding setup is taking shape across the Ozark Mountains of Missouri, Arkansas and northeastern Oklahoma over the extended Easter weekend-just two weeks after deadly floods inundated parts of the Ohio and Tennessee valleys. This new round of storms could deliver a similar torrent of rain, raising the risk for life-threatening flash flooding in a region with steep terrain and vulnerable waterways, AccuWeather meteorologists warn. While the upcoming rain may not be quite as extreme or as long-lasting as early April, downpours are projected from north-central Texas to central Illinois and southwestern Indiana. Within this zone, a general 1-4 inches of rain will fall from Friday to Sunday, which would be well short of what can trigger a life-threatening flash flood or a widespread flooding disaster. A band of much heavier rain, on the order of 4-8 inches, is forecast over a three-day period, with an AccuWeather Local StormMax™ of 11 inches. At least half of that rain may fall in a few hours. Within this band, life-threatening flash flooding can occur and will affect areas that dodged flooding earlier this month. However, an overlap of both heavy rain events from early April to this weekend will occur in some the app? Unlock AccuWeather Alerts™ with Premium+ Given the hilly terrain in the Ozark Mountains, which extends from central Missouri to northwestern Arkansas and northeastern Oklahoma, rapid runoff can lead to flash flooding of small streams and urban Easter weekend marking the first big outdoor getaway of the season for many, campers and travelers face a heightened risk from torrential rain, rounds of severe thunderstorms capable of unleashing damaging winds, large hail, frequent lightning and even tornadoes. Motorists are strongly urged not to attempt to drive through a flooded roadway. Many country roads in Missouri and Texas have low-water crossings, which may be too dangerous to drive through safely. Campers should use extreme caution when choosing a site. Avoid low-lying areas along small streams, which may be subject to flash flooding this weekend. Some access roads may become blocked by high water. Runoff from this weekend's rain will eventually flow into the Mississippi River but likely not until after water levels have receded. Tributary rivers of the Mississippi, and even the small streams that flow into those rivers, are expected to rise significantly and may flood as a result of this weekend's heavy rain. These may include the Meramec, the lower part of the Missouri, and the Arkansas rivers. Waters on the Meramec surged to major stage in early April, while the heavy rain fell just south of St. Louis. This time, the Mississippi River port city may experience flash urban flooding and significant rises on the rivers in the immediate vicinity. River gauges, managed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, with data from NOAA may not accurately show the full extent of the rising water levels until well after heavy rain begins. As of Thursday morning, no flooding was forecast on gauges from north-central Texas to central Illinois, but forecasters warn that could give a false sense of security. Meanwhile, the surge of water from the rain early in April continues to work downstream on the Mississippi River. Crests have occurred or will occur this weekend along the shores of the Mississippi that border Tennessee, southern Missouri, western Kentucky, northern Arkansas and northern Mississippi. Waters in these areas will be at moderate to major flood stage. Farther south, from southern Arkansas and central Mississippi through much of Louisiana and southern Mississippi, it may take until nearly the end of the month for the Mississippi River to crest at moderate to major flood stage. On a positive note, much of the rain forecast to fall this weekend will avoid areas that experienced the worst flooding from early April in Tennessee, Kentucky, far eastern Arkansas and the southern parts of Indiana, Ohio and, to some extent, southern Illinois. For example, there should not be any flooding from this weekend's rain along the Kentucky River or the middle to upper reaches of the Ohio. Comparatively, 8-16 inches of rain fell in four days over parts of the Ohio, Tennessee and middle Mississippi valleys in early April. Want next-level safety, ad-free? Unlock advanced, hyperlocal severe weather alerts when you subscribe to Premium+ on the AccuWeather app. AccuWeather Alerts™ are prompted by our expert meteorologists who monitor and analyze dangerous weather risks 24/7 to keep you and your family safer.
Yahoo
21-02-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Atmospheric river to unleash flooding rain, mudslide and avalanche risk in Northwest
As a series of Pacific storms continues in the northwestern United States and in southwestern Canada, the biggest storm of the bunch will include an atmospheric river in portions of Washington and Oregon that can have dangerous and damaging consequences, AccuWeather meteorologists warn. Storms this week have generally brought 0.50 of an inch to 2 inches of rain to lower elevations of western Washington and Oregon prior to Friday. A storm from Friday to Friday night will focus on British Columbia and western Washington, with a general 0.50-2 inches of rain once again. The rain into Friday night can be locally heavy and result in slick travel on area roads. In the mountain passes, a combination of rain and snow can bring slippery travel over the summits with locally dense fog and wind being issues as well. This image of the eastern Pacific and the western part of North America was captured on Friday, Feb. 21, 2025. (AccuWeather Enhanced RealVue™ Satelite) An even bigger storm will take aim this weekend and will feature a long plume of intense moisture, called an atmospheric river, that will be unleashed as a fire hose of rain even well up into the higher elevations of the Olympics and west-facing slopes of the Cascades. The Center For Western Weather and Water Extremes at Scripps Institution of Oceanography forecasts a moderate to strong atmospheric river with this system a 3-4 on their scale ranging from 1 to 5 with 5 being the most intense. This storm will be one of the biggest of the winter season for the area and is likely to boost precipitation to or above the historical average in many cases, including east of the Cascades. Since Dec. 1 through Feb. 20, Seattle has received 8.67 inches of rain compared to a historical average of 14.61 inches. Vancouver, British Columbia, has picked up 11.31 inches versus 14.16 inches for the same period. Meanwhile, Portland, Oregon, has tallied 11.36 inches compared to an average to date of 13.46 inches. •Have the app? Unlock AccuWeather Alerts™ with Premium+ Rainfall from the weekend storm alone will bring 1-4 inches along the Interstate 5 corridor with 6-12 inches along the west-facing slopes of the Olympics, Coast Ranges and Cascades of Washington and Oregon. In these upsloping locations, there is an AccuWeather Local StormMax™ of 14 inches. More storms will follow into the middle of next week, which will unleash more rounds of rain and mountain snow. "In Seattle, the bulk of the rain will fall from later Saturday night to Sunday afternoon, while Portland can expect the most frequent downpours to occur between Saturday evening and Sunday evening, with the heaviest rain to fall on Eugene, Oregon, from Saturday evening to Sunday afternoon," AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Heather Zehr said. Freezing levels (the elevation at which there can be a mixture of rain and wet snow) will rise substantially into the high country with 5,800 feet in southern British Columbia to 8,500 feet in the southern Oregon Cascades from Saturday night to early Sunday, before falling. Because rain will fall very high up into the mountains, melting snow at elevations below combined with the heavy rain will lead to quick flooding of small streams and the short-run rivers. People living along or traveling over these waterways should be aware of the danger. As the thaw reaches higher into the mountains, the risk of avalanches, mudslides and other debris flows and slides will increase in the hilly terrain, including the well-traveled passes that remain open in the winter months. As the biggest storm in the bunch pushes inland, additional rounds of moisture from somewhat weaker storms will be accompanied by lowering snow levels. By Monday in the southern British Columbia mountains and during Monday night and Tuesday farther south in the Cascades of Washington, the air will get cold enough for snow to fall and accumulate over the passes, including Snoqualmie Pass, Washington, along I-90. The storm from Monday to Tuesday can still pack a punch in terms of drenching rain at the lower elevations, but mainly from northwestern Washington to southwestern British Columbia, where ponding on the roads and highways can slow commutes in Seattle and Vancouver. The storms will bring bouts of gusty winds to the coast. Winds can be strong enough to knock over some trees and trigger sporadic power outages in western Washington and Oregon. Coastal waters are often rough in the winter, and this stretch into Tuesday will be no exception. Want next-level safety, ad-free? Unlock advanced, hyperlocal severe weather alerts when you subscribe to Premium+ on the AccuWeather app. AccuWeather Alerts™ are prompted by our expert meteorologists who monitor and analyze dangerous weather risks 24/7 to keep you and your family safer.
Yahoo
18-02-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Major snowstorm to bury Virginia, Maryland and North Carolina
A cross-country snowstorm will move to the Atlantic coast at midweek and is projected by AccuWeather meteorologists to unload a heavy accumulation on portions of Virginia, North Carolina, Maryland and Delaware. Some snow will extend north and west of this area, while icy conditions occur just to the south. Some segments of the storm began their journey over the northern Pacific last week before spreading snow southeastward across the Rockies and then onto the central Plains early this week. An injection of Gulf moisture has given the storm a boost as it rolls eastward. While the storm will fail to make a northward turn along the Atlantic coast, it will still deliver the biggest snowfall of the season for some areas before heading out to sea. Norfolk and Richmond, Virginia; Winston-Salem and Raleigh, North Carolina; and Salisbury, Maryland, are among the towns and cities that are forecast to be walloped by several inches of accumulating snow from Wednesday to early Thursday. From 6-12 inches of snow is forecast with an AccuWeather Local StormMax™ of 25 inches to occur in southeastern Virginia and part of Maryland's Eastern Shore. The snow can fall at a rate of 1-2 inches per hour for a time from Wednesday afternoon to Wednesday night. At this intensity, crews may not be able to keep up with the storm and some major highways, including interstates 64, 85 and 95, may be forced to close. Motorists could become stranded. Airline delays and flight cancellations will mount Wednesday, with lingering effects Thursday. •Have the app? Unlock AccuWeather Alerts™ with Premium+ A second component to the storm fueled by the jet stream will promote some light snow to fall all the way back to the Ohio Valley and Great Lakes region, as well as the central Appalachians, the upper part of the mid-Atlantic coast and even in southern New England. Snowfall in much of this zone will be spotty and will range from barely a few flakes to a couple of inches. There may be a last-minute northward tug by the jet stream to deliver a light but manageable accumulation in the Interstate 95 zone of the upper mid-Atlantic and southeastern New England, but a major snowstorm is highly unlikely from Washington, D.C., to Philadelphia, New York City and Boston. Because of a pool of very dry air to the north of the coastal storm, AccuWeather meteorologists expect a sharp gradation between several inches of snow in southern New Jersey, eastern Long Island, and Cape Cod, Massachusetts, to a light coating to no snow at all just north and west from Wednesday to Wednesday night. As more moisture moves in Thursday, there can be pockets where a coating to an inch of snow falls throughout the Northeast. Farther south, a significant amount of sleet and freezing rain is forecast to occur from central and southeastern North Carolina to northern South Carolina. Where more freezing rain occurs instead of sleet and snow, a buildup of ice on trees can lead to widespread power outages. Even a small amount of ice or a wintry mix can make for dangerous conditions in cities such as Charlotte, Greenville and Fayetteville, North Carolina; and Greenville to Darlington, South Carolina. Cold winds will again pick up in the wake of the coastal storm Thursday. As the trailing component of the storm swings eastward from the Midwest, intermittent snow and locally heavier snow showers can continue to cause trouble on the roads from northern Georgia and the Carolinas to upstate New York and New England. The cold air may be significant enough to deter natural melting, which typically occurs in the Southern states in the wake of a winter storm. Any areas made wet by natural melting will freeze toward the evening as the temperature plummets. Want next-level safety, ad-free? Unlock advanced, hyperlocal severe weather alerts when you subscribe to Premium+ on the AccuWeather app. AccuWeather Alerts™ are prompted by our expert meteorologists who monitor and analyze dangerous weather risks 24/7 to keep you and your family safer.
