Heavy rain expected in Charlotte over the next few days
It's going to be a wet few days across the Carolinas with heavy rain and storms bringing the possibility of flooding to the area.
Get ready for some wet weather over the next few days in the Carolinas.
Chief Meteorologist Brad Panovich has been tracking this setup for several days and now the soggy pattern he forecasted is coming to fruition as heavy downpours and showers are likely across the region through the next couple of days.
A Flash Flood Watch is in effect until 8 p.m. Thursday, marking a three-day watch for all of the western Carolinas and parts of Georgia, extending as far south as Atlanta. Panovich expects the excessive rain to expand even further east, including all of the viewing area and the entire western half of North Carolina.
So what’s bring the heavy rain? Panovich said an upper low is coming in from Missouri, combined with a big influx of tropical moisture from the south.
“The low brings in tropical moisture, and the winds are diverging,” Panovich said. “When the air spreads out like that, it pulls air up from the surface, like a vacuum, and when you pull warm moist air up, it cools off and turns to clouds and makes storms.”
How much rain will we get?
Panovich expects anywhere from 2-6” depending on your location, but he broke it down even more than that. If you live in the foothills, anywhere from 3-5” of rain is likely. This could be problematic and create flooding concerns if the same areas receive multiple downpours.
“If the same areas get hit again and again, there’s a concern for flash flooding,” Panovich said. “Flooding might not start immediately, but after 12, 24, 36 hours of this, there’s going to be some issues with flooding.”
In Charlotte, Panovich thinks the most likely outcome is 2-4” of rain, although some areas could see more by the end of the week. The heaviest rainfall is expected in the mountains, with some areas along the Blue Ridge Mountains picking up as much as 7” in some places.
Not much of a severe threat
Panovich isn’t expecting much of a chance for tornadoes or damaging winds with this setup, but the heavy rains and flooding will increase the risk of trees falling. And as anyone in south Charlotte can tell you, it doesn’t take much for trees to fall during heavy rain.
