Tropical moisture fueling renewed flood threat for Helene-ravaged areas of Carolinas
The FOX Forecast Center said rain totals through Saturday will stay between 1–2 inches, but the front will begin to stall, bringing lingering, heavy downpours and 2–3 inches of rain, with higher amounts possible.
Cold front, tropical moisture fueling flood threat in Carolinas
A cold front moving through the Southeast will join tropical moisture to fuel a flood threat this weekend and into next weekend. A PRE could also form into next week, bringing rapid, heavy rainfall to areas already recovering from Hurricane Helene last year.
A cold front moving through the Southeast will join tropical moisture produced by Hurricane Humberto and Invest 94L to fuel a flood threat this weekend for much of North and South Carolina, including areas which were deeply devastated by Hurricane Helene just one year ago.
The front that has been giving parts of the South wet, stormy days is forecast to stall across the Southeast coast, bringing heavy rain to the Carolinas.
Tropical moisture streaming in from Hurricane Humberto off the coast and Invest 94L approaching from the Caribbean will only make the flash flood threat that much worse, the FOX Forecast Center said.
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The worst of the rain impacts will stretch from Washington, D.C., into South Carolina.
A level 2 of 4 flash flood threat was issued on Friday for much of Western North Carolina, including Asheville, which was badly damaged by flooding during Hurricane Helene one year ago.
Parts of Asheville, and many communities within the Blue Ridge Mountains of Western North Carolina, are still recovering from Helene's aftermath.
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The FOX Forecast Center said rain totals through Saturday will stay between 1–2 inches, but the front will begin to stall, bringing lingering, heavy downpours and 2–3 inches of rain, with higher amounts possible.
The greater concern comes from what could happen leading into next week.
"Every day next week there's a chance of showers and storms," FOX Weather Meteorologist Stephen Morgan said on Friday. "We're not talking these afternoon downpours. It could be some organized rain that could be concerning."
As Invest 94L and Hurricane Humberto move through the Atlantic and near the U.S. East Coast, tropical moisture will surge into the southeast.
With this type of setup, a predecessor rain event (PRE) could develop before any tropical system moves closer to the region. This is the same type of event that did most of the flooding during Hurricane Helene last year, the FOX Forecast Center said.
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"It occurs hundreds of miles north of where a tropical system is," Morgan said.
While it's too early to tell exactly where Invest 94L will end up, it's forecast that Hurricane Humberto will remain off the coast of the U.S., therefore avoiding any direct landfall threats.
The Hurricane Hunters will fly into Invest 94L on Friday afternoon to get a better idea of the track this system could take.