Downpours along much of the Interstate-95 corridor could be persistent and heavy enough to lead to localized urban and poor drainage area flooding along with travel disruptions.
AccuWeather Global Weather Center – June 12, 2020 – The combination of lingering tropical moisture and a weather battle zone will set the stage for repeating downpours that can lead to flooding across the lower mid-Atlantic and southern Atlantic coastal areas into the weekend. Forecasters say the flooding risk could extend into next week with excessive rainfall amounts predicted.
Downpours along much of the Interstate-95 corridor could be persistent and heavy enough to lead to localized urban and poor drainage area flooding along with travel disruptions. Isolated damaging wind gusts are also possible in the heavier thunderstorms.
The most intense and steadiest rain is likely to occur during the afternoon and evening hours, according to AccuWeather Meteorologist Courtney Travis.
Across the southern mid-Atlantic and points south, the rain will continue into the weekend. Due to an atmospheric traffic jam, the likelihood of more heavy rain is forecast from southeastern Virginia to northern Florida from Friday through Sunday.
By early Thursday evening, flooding had inundated parts of Durham, North Carolina. One street in Northern Durham was completely flooded as rain continued to pour, the rising waters reaching halfway up car tires.
Just before 8 p.m. EDT, a tree fell onto power lines amid strong winds in Durham County, according to the National Weather Service's Storm Prediction Center. A county over in Orange County, strong winds downed power poles.
High pressure over the Atlantic Ocean will hold its ground while a southward dip in the jet stream develops over the eastern Great Lakes, Ohio Valley and Appalachians. This setup can squeeze copious amounts of tropical moisture out of the atmosphere.