Front Brings Flood Threat Ahead of Tropical System Idalia

A stationary front over the western Carolinas and northeast Georgia will continue to interact with deep moisture and instability through Tuesday night to produce numerous showers and thunderstorms across the
area. Meanwhile, T.S. Idalia is expected to become a Hurricane today, make landfall on the Florida Gulf Coast late Tuesday night, and then move off the South Carolina coast late Wednesday.

Several rounds of heavy rain showers and thunderstorms will develop today through Tuesday night. The peak intensity should be during the afternoon and evening hours each day, but some activity may linger overnight. Additional heavy rainfall is possible Wednesday through Wednesday night over the lower Piedmont as Idalia moves into southeast Georgia. Idalia should move away to the east Thursday night.

Widespread 1-to-3-inch rain totals are expected across the area through mid-week. Localized 4+ inch totals are possible anywhere numerous storms occur or stall. Isolated flash flooding will be possible from these slowly moving storms. Damaging wind gusts will be possible with some of these thunderstorms. Idalia’s current forecast track would keep the heaviest rainfall and strongest winds just southeast of our area. However, the outermost rain bands from Idalia could impact lower Piedmont areas well southeast of I-85 from Wednesday into early Thursday, with isolated flooding possible.

Rainfall totals are expected to vary widely across the area due to the locally intense rainfall associated with individual storms along the front. While Idalia’s forecast track has shifted east, reducing our local threat for now, our area remains vulnerable to any small westward shifts in the track.

Dry weather is expected behind Idalia beginning Friday and lasting through the weekend. Temperatures are expected to gradually return to near normal.