Southeast on Edge as Forecast Threatens More Rain

U.S.|Southeast on Edge as Forecast Threatens More Rain https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/07/us/georgia-rain-flooding-atlanta.html You have a preview view of this article while we are checking your access. When we have confirmed access, the full article content will load. Soppy soil is creating a concern for more flooding in the South and the Northeast after recent rains. Damage from heavy […]

T Kauer T Kauer
Mar 8, 2024 - 01:15
Southeast on Edge as Forecast Threatens More Rain

Southeast on Edge as Forecast Threatens More Rain thumbnail

U.S.|Southeast on Edge as Forecast Threatens More Rain

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/07/us/georgia-rain-flooding-atlanta.html

You have a preview view of this article while we are checking your access. When we have confirmed access, the full article content will load.

Soppy soil is creating a concern for more flooding in the South and the Northeast after recent rains.

A person in jeans and a plaid shirt walks down a sidewalk that is strewn with debris from a collapsed roof.
Damage from heavy rain in Atlanta on Wednesday. Another two to five inches of rain could fall in the region from Friday into Saturday, increasing the risk of flash flooding, forecasters said.Credit…Erik S Lesser/EPA, via Shutterstock

Judson Jones

By Judson Jones

Judson Jones is a meteorologist and reporter for The Times. He reported from Atlanta.

The sky was blue over Atlanta on Thursday morning, but the ground made a squishing sound if you walked across it, soaked from heavy rains the day before that left streets muddy with red Georgia clay.

And before the city has a chance to dry out from Wednesday’s storm, another storm threatens the Eastern United States with excessive rain that is “particularly concerning” to forecasters for cities like Atlanta, where another two to five inches may fall Friday into Saturday.

A similar amount of rain soaked Atlanta on Wednesday, filling some creeks to flood stage. A NASA computer model showed that topsoil saturation was over 65 percent, and in some cases even higher. The soppy ground will keep any new rainfall from soaking in, increasing the risk of flash flooding with any new rain this weekend.

If the region were to receive the higher end of the forecast rainfall, it could lead to substantial flash flooding and rapid rises in already elevated waterways, the National Weather Service office in Atlanta warned.

A wet couple of months have also left the ground at capacity elsewhere in the East, especially in the Northeast, where more rain will fall over the weekend. Over an inch of rain fell in Central Park in New York on Wednesday. And while the next round of rain there isn’t expected to be as significant as what is expected across the South, the rain forecast for Saturday into Sunday in the city could lead to minor urban, nuisance-type flooding.

Tracking extreme weather risk

Forecast risk of excessive rain for Friday

Source: National Weather Service Notes: This map indicates risk in up to three tiers: Some, there is at least some chance of extreme weather in the area; Moderate, it is likely that damaging weather will happen in the area; and High, extreme, dangerous weather is expected in the area. Data is as of [DATETIME] and is not available for Alaska and Hawaii. By The New York Times

Tracking extreme weather risk

Forecast risk of severe storms for Friday

Source: National Weather Service Notes: This map indicates risk in up to three tiers: Some, there is at least some chance of extreme weather in the area; Moderate, it is likely that damaging weather will happen in the area; and High, extreme, dangerous weather is expected in the area. Data is as of [DATETIME] and is not available for Alaska and Hawaii. By The New York Times

Tracking extreme weather risk

Forecast risk of excessive rain for Saturday

Source: National Weather Service Notes: This map indicates risk in up to three tiers: Some, there is at least some chance of extreme weather in the area; Moderate, it is likely that damaging weather will happen in the area; and High, extreme, dangerous weather is expected in the area. Data is as of [DATETIME] and is not available for Alaska and Hawaii. By The New York Times

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