Heavy Rain Brings a Flood Threat to the East Coast This Weekend

Several inches of heavy rain on Friday and Saturday could lead to flooding to parts of the southeast and Mid-Atlantic. Some of the heavy rain will fall over areas that saw more than a foot of snow just a couple of days ago. The abundant snow deposited by last weekend’s historic snowstorm could lead to significant flooding in some areas.

The upper-level low responsible for the upcoming rain made a mess of things in Texas this week—including intense winds and even some heavy snow—and it’ll continue to swoop across the southeast over the next two days, creating a large shield of precipitation that should bring substantial rains to most of the southeast and Mid-Atlantic on Friday and Saturday.

The latest precipitation forecast from NOAA’s Weather Prediction Center shows a couple of inches of rain stretching from Florida through the Mid-Atlantic. This kind of rain would lead to some flooding concerns under normal circumstances, especially if it falls in a short period of time, but the risk for flooding is enhanced due to the epic amounts of snow that still blanket the ground in interior parts of North Carolina and Virginia.

We saw a historic snowstorm on Sunday that dumped enormous amounts of snow, with totals exceeding a foot across most communities between Interstate 85 in N.C. and Interstate 64 in Virginia. The resulting snowpack is thick and wet and it’s hung in there pretty resiliently over the past couple of days.

That’s bad news when it comes to this much rain. Drains are clogged, which could lead to street and parking lot flooding. Snowmelt will add extra water on top of the rain, having a greater effect than just a couple of inches of rain straight-up.The rain will pool on the snow. The snow and wet soil beneath it will both prevent the rain from soaking into the earth effectively. In addition to the risk for urban street flooding, all that excess water could push local streams and creeks to flood stage.

All those typical flood tips apply—be careful where you drive, have a secondary route, don’t drive through a flooded roadway—but pay attention to where you park, as well. I’m sure my apartment complex’s parking lot will flood in spots because of the clogged drains, possibly endangering vehicles parked in those end spots. That could be a problem in large parking lots with poorly-placed snow mounds.

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