Tropical Rain to Soak Atlanta, Charleston Into Monday

By Kristina Pydynowski, Senior Meteorologist

November 8,2015; 10:45PM,EST

 

 

Soaking rain fueled by tropical moisture will spread from northern Florida to the Carolinas into Monday; another indication that the effects of El Niño are ramping up for this winter.
A storm system tapping into tropical moisture will continue to push rain northward across the Southeast into Monday.
This same system will spare the Southeast of being threatened by the tropical low that is being monitored for development near the Bahamas.

Heavy Rain Ramps Up in the Southeast

The heaviest rain remains focused on the Florida Panhandle, southeastern Alabama and southwestern Georgia to end the weekend.
The downpours will continue to spread northward across Georgia overnight Sunday and will develop along the coast of South Carolina. The entire coastal plain of the Carolinas will face heavy rain on Monday.
Additional drenching rain will persist across the Outer Banks Monday night while advancing to the southern mid-Atlantic coast.

Albany, Atlanta and Savannah, Georgia; Charleston and Myrtle Beach, South Carolina; and Wilmington and Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, are at risk for the downpours that can trigger localized flash flooding into Monday.
Outside of where the heaviest rain is expected, some rain that will be a nuisance for travelers and those with outdoor plans will dampen Chattanooga, Tennessee; South Carolina; Charlotte and Raleigh, North Carolina.
RELATED:
Southeast Interactive Radar
AccuWeather MinuteCast® for Your Location
POLL: Would You Support a Flood-Related 'Stupid Motorist Law' in Your State?
Most flooding issues should be on a localized level along streams and in low-lying and poor drainage areas. However, it only takes one localized flooding incident to create a dangerous situation for the residents/communities being affected.
The threat of flash flooding quickly arose around Apalachicola Airport, Florida, on Sunday when 3.77 inches of rain poured down in the hour ending at noon EST.
Larger rivers that are already running high and out of their banks, including the Edisto River in South Carolina, may further rise or will be slower to recede as runoff from the current soaking rain drains downstream.
Even if flooding does not ensue, the downpours will reduce visibility for motorists and heighten the risk of vehicles hydroplaning. Anyone planning to travel on stretches of I-10, I-40, I-85 and I-95 through the Southeast should be prepared for slower travel.

Outdoor plans may be postponed or forced indoors.
In addition to umbrellas and rain boots, residents will also want to grab their jackets out of the closets. With the recent warmth erased, highs will be held about 10 to 15 degrees below normal in the Carolinas and Georgia into Monday.
The Southeast will gradually dry out on Tuesday as the rain pushes northward to Washington, D.C., New York City and Boston. There is less concern for flooding downpours over the latter region with the heaviest rain set to track offshore.
The return of dry weather for the Southeast at midweek will not be the theme heading into December with the effects of El Niño ramping up.
"There is no sign of a lengthy break in the wet pattern from Louisiana to the Carolinas and part of Florida through November and December," stated AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Alex Sosnowski.
"Winter, especially December, is likely to be worse than the fall in terms of big wet storms and severe weather," AccuWeather Chief Long Range Meteorologist Paul Pastelok said.
A storm system emerging from the Rockies threatens to ignite severe weather across a large part of the Central U.S. Wednesday. This threat should lessen as the system's cold front reaches the Southeast on Thursday.

"As El Niño strengthens, the storms will get stronger and wetter in the Southern states," stated Sosnowski.
"The majority of the Southeast will have to wait until the heart of winter for a few significant cool and dry outbreaks. The flow on the backside of strong and large-scale systems may be enough to get that accomplished."