North Carolina flooding from Tropical Depression Chantal turns deadly

Tropical Storm Chantal has drenched parts of the East Coast as the flash flood threat continues

FOX News Multimedia Reporter Chelsea Torres breaks down the latest updates in Durham, North Carolina, as some locals get back into their homes to salvage anything they can.

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – A woman was found dead in Orange County, North Carolina on Monday after she was last seen heading to work Sunday night amid heavy rain from Tropical Depression Chantal.

Homes, businesses and hundreds of roads were flooded in central North Carolina beginning Sunday night, after rounds of heavy rain from Tropical Depression Chantal washed out streets, sent rivers into major flood stage and prompted water rescues. 

Flash Flood Warnings were issued through early Monday morning for several North Carolina counties and parts of southern Virginia as the storm's remnants moved up the East Coast Monday.

Chantal made landfall as a Tropical Storm near Litchfield Beach, South Carolina, about 4 a.m. Sunday and carved a path through central North Carolina, where some locations received as much as 9 inches of rain within 24 hours.

TEXAS FLOODING DEATH TOLL RISES AS DESPERATE SEARCH FOR SURVIVORS CONTINUES

The Orange County Sheriff's Office wrote in a statement that the woman, who was from Person County, went missing during the period of heavy rain Sunday night. Deputies found her body in a different location than where they found her vehicle.

No other deaths have been reported.

A state of emergency was declared in Orange County, North Carolina, where the emergency services department reported that water rescues and evacuations were underway late Sunday night.

The towns of Chapel Hill, Carrboro and Hillsborough also declared a state of emergency.

Officials in the town of Chapel Hill said first responders performed more than 50 water rescues beginning Sunday evening, and some 60 people were displaced.

Flooding from the Eno River inundates part of Durham County, North Carolina seen on Monday morning, July 7, 2025.

(WRAL / FOX Weather)

Aerial video showed neighborhoods in Chapel Hill and Durham County that were still inundated Monday morning. 

Interstate 85 South and Interstate 40 West near Graham, North Carolina, were closed Monday due to flooding, according to the state's Department of Transportation.

The sheriff of Chatham County, North Carolina, wrote in a social media post Sunday night that State Highway 902 collapsed near Chatham Road and more than 100 roads in the county were flooded.

The Haw River near Burlington, North Carolina, rose almost 30 feet from Sunday night to early Monday morning, cresting at 32.5 feet, just 0.3 inches below the record level set during Hurricane Fran in 1996. 

Similarly, the Eno River near Durham, North Carolina, crested at over 25 feet early Monday morning, reaching major flood stage after rising 24 feet in less than 12 hours.

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Aerial video of flooding in Durham County, North Carolina caused by Tropical Depression Chantal.

Aerial video shows flooding from the Eno River Monday morning in Durham County, North Carolina caused by Tropical Depression Chantal.

The city of Mebane in Orange and Alamance counties issued a voluntary evacuation order late Sunday, due to concerns over the potential failure of the Lake Michael Dam. City officials reported that the water treatment plant lost power. Residents were asked to cut back on water usage.

Some 28,000 customers were without power across Alamance, Orange and Durham counties on Monday morning.

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Firefighters perform water rescues in Chapel Hill, North Carolina amid flooding caused by Tropical Depression Chantal's remnants

Firefighters perform water rescues in Chapel Hill, North Carolina on Sunday evening amid flooding caused by Tropical Depression Chantal's remnants.

The remnants of Chantal moved farther north Monday, bringing heavy rain and thunderstorms to Virginia, Maryland, Delaware and Washington, D.C.