SerpApi.Org
After months of dry weather and ongoing drought conditions, central North Carolina is now facing a different concern: flash flooding.
A Flood Watch is in effect across much of the region as rounds of heavy rain move through the area, prompting Raleigh officials to monitor flood-prone locations and urge drivers to use caution.
Along the Crabtree Creek Greenway Trail, high water markers serve as a reminder of how quickly waterways can rise during heavy rainfall.
City officials said areas near creeks, greenways and low-lying roads are among the locations they’ll be watching most closely as storms move through.
“These markers show how high these floodwaters can get. These could be from tropical events, but they could also just be from an intense thunderstorm,” said Scott Bryant with Raleigh Stormwater.
The concern is not simply how much rain falls, but how quickly it comes down. Intense rainfall over a short period can overwhelm creeks, causing water to spill over banks and into greenways or roadways.
Bryant said crews are anticipating that creeks could rise to the tops of their banks, with greenways potentially seeing flooding if the heaviest rain develops.
Despite the wet forecast, the rainfall is not expected to erase the ongoing drought.
“We still need several inches — more than 15 inches — to get out of the drought,” said WRAL’s Aimee Wilmoth.
The City of Raleigh has implemented several programs to keep a close eye on conditions as weather moves in.
The Flood Early Warning System (FEWS) was launched to help the city forecast and prepare for severe weather and flooding. Flood monitoring cameras, flood control systems and storm tracking help officials send real-time alerts to emergency responders before and during weather events.
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