Tropical Storm Debby is expected to dump three times more rain on Charlotte than originally predicted, with 6 to 8 inches forecast through Friday, National Hurricane Center maps showed Tuesday.
Union County could see 8 to 12 inches, according to the map of predicted rainfall totals from the storm.
On Monday, the maps predicted 2 to 4 inches for Charlotte throughout the week. National Weather Service maps on Tuesday forecast 4 to 6 inches.
Some outer bands of rain from Debby were reported in Union County on Tuesday, though nothing in Mecklenburg, NWS meteorologist Steve Wilkinson said.
The NWS on Tuesday issued a flood watch from late Wednesday through Friday for Mecklenburg, Cabarrus, Iredell, Union and Rowan counties and the South Carolina counties of York and Chester.
The latest expected rainfall totals could produce “numerous instances of flash flooding, with significant flooding possible,” according to the flood watch alert.
It was impossible to say late Tuesday afternoon how quickly the rain would fall, Wilkinson told The Charlotte Observer.
That’s because Debby is “very slow moving” and not traveling in a straight line, he said.
If the rains spread out over time, flooding threats lessen, he said.
Forecasters also don’t know when the worst of the deluge will descend on Charlotte.
Rains are expected all day Thursday, Thursday night and into Friday, Wilkinson said.
Through Saturday morning, the storm could dump 10 to 20 inches of rain on southeast Georgia, South Carolina’s coastal plain and southeast North Carolina, The News & Observer reported. Some areas could see up to 30 inches.
At 2 p.m. Tuesday, Debby was lumbering along at 5 mph near the Georgia and South Carolina coasts, according to a National Hurricane Center update. With maximum 40-mph winds, the storm was 10 miles southeast of Savannah, Georgia, and about 80 miles southwest of Charleston, South Carolina.
Charlotte Douglas International Airport saw a big drop in canceled or delayed flights from Debby on Tuesday, compared with Monday. As of 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, 137 flights were delayed and 56 were canceled, according to FlightAware.com, which tracks flights at the nation’s airports. On Monday, at least 640 flights were disrupted.
To prevent flooding on Charlotte streets, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Storm Water Services urged residents to check storm drains near their homes and clear any blockages.
This is a developing story that will be updated.
Heavy rain is possible in the Charlotte area later this week. Now is a good time check storm drains near your home and clear any blockages. pic.twitter.com/nXJphoOAlp
— CharMeck Storm Water (@StormWaterCM) August 5, 2024
Source Agencies
