Many Southeast's cleanup efforts hampered by rain, storms

As cleanup efforts continue this week, rain could bring some delays and continue to prevent the water from subsiding across parts of the Southeast.

Helene caused total devastation across parts of North Florida and well over 500 miles from where the hurricane made landfall. Many parts of the southern Appalachians are underwater, and many are still missing. Rivers and creeks will not subside for many days, and even the scattered rain showers forecast for Monday could cause big issues for recovery and cleanup efforts.

The remnants of Helene and another system fused over the weekend and continue to move slowly. These fused systems will bring rounds of showers for cities like Asheville, N.C., where residents are still stuck in their homes or neighborhoods as rivers have flooded streets and major roads. A weak front will sweep through the region by Wednesday and could produce a few more sprinkles and showers, but these will be very scattered and less frequent. Conditions will improve from Wednesday on.

The weather will be mostly stable for cleanup efforts. Temperatures in the afternoons will be in the low-80s, and mornings in the low-60s. The Panhandle starts off the week quiet, with toasty afternoon temperatures near 90. Rain and storm chances go up Thursday and it will likely stay stormy throughout the weekend. Further east, across North Florida, where more cleanup is needed, storms will form as the heat kicks in and the sea breeze sparks off afternoon storms.

The Tampa Bay area, where many are cleaning up after the large storm caused many homes to flood, will deal with a few scattered afternoon storms. Storm coverage goes up to between 50 to 60 percent for the rest of the week and weekend. The mornings will be best for clean-up efforts and try to finish by 2 p.m. with any outdoor activities. Afternoon storms will develop lightning.

Make sure to track any developing storms with our WeatherRadar. The forecast for the next 90-minutes for your city will help you plan carefully how fast you will need to get indoors. Please stay hydrated. Many are still without power or with their air conditioning united damaged from the flood waters. Please dress accordingly and make sure to wear safe clothing items to protect yourself from any standing flood waters that might be contaminated.