Moderate to heavy rain for the East: flooding possible in the Appalachians

A cold front attached to a powerful winter storm will send waves of rain across much of the eastern third of the U.S. While the rain will be a nuisance for many, flash flooding is a concern in the Appalachians.

A powerful winter storm is producing blizzard conditions and dangerous icing across the north-central U.S. While much of the focus is on the winter conditions near the low, the cold front attached to this system will send waves of rain across the eastern third of the country.

The WeatherRadar shows showers and thunderstorms ahead of the cold front spreading eastward from the Lower Great Lakes, Upper Ohio Valley, central and southern Appalachians, and the Carolinas Tuesday into the Mid-Atlantic and New England by Wednesday.

While the rain will mainly be a nuisance, some areas are at risk for heavy downpours. The greatest risk of flooding extends from parts of South Carolina to Virginia, with North Carolina likely seeing much of the heaviest rain. NOAA’s Weather Prediction Center has highlighted this region as having a slight risk of excessive rainfall, which is a level two out of four for flash flooding.

In total, most areas will pick up one to three inches of rain, however, some localized totals of five inches or more are possible. Keep an eye on the WeatherRadar and make sure your app alerts are turned on!