Flash Flood Watch issued as another round of storms moves in

By WRAL Severe Weather Center

Raleigh, N.C. — We saw a whole bunch of rain Wednesday and we’re going to see even more in the coming days.

Thursday morning, a flash flood watch was issued for Wake County and points north, south and east. The watch is in effect until Friday at 6 a.m. The threat includes anywhere from 1 to 3 inches of rain and the possibility of flash flooding.

Some parts of the area got drenched on Wednesday, making flooding possible should they get significant rain today.

We’ll see warm days with highs in the 80s bring the chance for thunderstorms on Thursday and Friday afternoon, with the possibility of some relief from recent drought conditions.

The rain chances are a good sign considering we just completed the driest spring on record at RDU with just over five inches of rain in a three-month span.

Thursday carries a Level 1 risk for severe weather in central North Carolina.

WRAL meteorologist Mike Maze said scattered thunderstorms could be “quite numerous on Thursday.” It’s a good sign in terms of fighting the drought we’ve seen for much of the last three months.

“[This is] the best rain chances we’ve seen in quite some time,” said Maze.

More flood advisories could go into effect on Thursday due to the heavy downpour that’s expected.

“More rain is on the way,” meteorologist Kat Campbell said. “Tomorrow is our best chance for rain we have had in awhile. There is a 30-40% chance of rain in the morning and a 70% chance during the afternoon and evening.”

By Friday, the rain chances drop to 50 percent, with even less chance for rain through the coming weekend.

Maze said according to the Weather Prediction Center, over the next 7 days, central North Carolina could see “a fairly decent amount of rain,” with some locations getting an an inch or two.

“We are coming off the driest spring on record for Raleigh, so the increasing rain chances are great to see,” he added.