An intense band of heavy rainfall will continue across South Carolina and parts of North Carolina, bringing storm total rainfall across some areas over one foot.
Torrential rainfall developed due to a combination of Hurricane Joaquin and a non-tropical system.
State of emergencies were declared in anticipation of flooding, strong winds and power outages.
Heavy rainfall began across much of the East Coast on Thursday. While a good portion of the East Coast has had the heavy rain taper to showers or even drizzle, a band of heavy rain continues to sit over South Carolina.
Lives and property will be severely threatened where the heavy rain hits the same areas for several hours.
Storm Total Rainfall: Thursday, Oct. 1 Through Saturday, Oct. 3 (May contain missing rainfall reports)
| City, State | Amount (Inches) | City, State | Amount (Inches) |
| Mount Pleasant, SC | 15.60 | Jacksonville, NC | 4.66 |
| Charleston, SC | 14.25 | Fayetteville, NC | 4.59 |
| Moncks Corner, SC | 9.39 | Hoffman, NC | 4.58 |
| North Myrtle Beach, SC | 8.41 | Stumpy Point, NC | 4.52 |
| Elizabethtown, NC | 7.69 | Cherry Point, NC | 4.52 |
| Orangeburg, SC | 6.24 | Wadesboro, NC | 4.44 |
| Manning, SC | 5.65 | Darlington, SC | 4.17 |
| Whiteville, NC | 5.60 | Ocean City, MD | 4.14 |
| Florence, SC | 5.20 | Washington, NC | 4.06 |
| Norfolk, VA | 5.08 | New Bern, NC | 4.05 |
| Sumter, SC | 5.01 | Rockingham, NC | 3.97 |
| Wilmington, NC | 4.71 | Fentress, VA | 3.96 |
According to the National Weather Service in Charleston, South Carolina, the Charleston International Airport received 11.50 inches of rain on Saturday. This marks the wettest day on record surpassing the old record of 10.52 inches set on Sept. 21, 1998 due to Hurricane Hugo.
The band of heavy rain will continue across South Carolina through Sunday before slowly shifting into eastern North Carolina into Monday.
An additional 4 to 8 inches of rain will fall in parts of South Carolina from Sunday morning into Monday. Locally higher amounts are possible in areas where the heavy rain band sits for a long duration of time.
According to AccuWeather Meteorologist Michael Doll, “Storm drains will be unable to keep up with the extreme rainfall rates and entire towns will become lakes.”
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Rainfall rates could reach 1 and 2 inches of rain per hour.
Storm total rainfall in some places could reach 20 inches, nearly half of the normal rainfall for an entire year.
Life-Threatening Flooding Continues Across South Carolina
Drivers are urged to stay off the roads until conditions improve. Even when the rain departs by Tuesday, some roads will likely remain flooded through much of the week.
“Creeks and rivers will overflow their banks and it will take several days for the flood waters to recede,” Doll said.
Nearby rivers and creeks will continue to rise after the rain departs. Some rivers could reach record levels by midweek. Homes and businesses are at risk for major flooding.
As many as 83 roads were closed as of early Sunday morning, 46 of those were in Charleston County, South Carolina Management Division reported. Additional roads are likely to close into Monday.
Strong winds will also bring a continuation of coastal flooding and beach erosion into Monday.
On Friday night, the high water swept a home into Grassy Sound, north of North Wildwood, New Jersey.
Tidal Surge Pushes Water into Charleston Neighborhoods
East to northeast gusts may frequently reach 40 mph with isolated gusts to 50 mph.
According to AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Alex Sosnowski, “The onshore winds alone, in absence of Joaquin reaching the coast, will cause water levels to rise to an average of 2-3 feet above normal tides from North Carolina to New Jersey.”
“Breakers will average 8-12 feet with offshore waves averaging 14-18 feet,” he added.
Winds, combined with wet, loose soil, will bring down trees and power lines and cause minor property damage.
Once the rain departs the Carolinas, a stretch of dry weather will be in place through at least the upcoming weekend.
Original Article:http://www.accuweather.com/en/weather-news/tropical-storm-joaquin-east-coast-track-heavy-rain-deluge-flash-flooding-atlantic/52672710
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