How much rain will Tropical Storm Fred bring to Rock Hill? And how long will it last?

You won’t need the sprinklers this week. Forecasters say a tropical storm will bring more than enough water for lawns and gardens in the Rock Hill area.

The remnants of Tropical Storm Fred are predicted to interact with a stalled front and bring periods of showers and thunderstorms to the western Carolinas through Wednesday.

Up to 10 inches of rain could fall in portions of the Carolinas mountains, meteorologists say. They also say 1-3 inches can be expected across the Rock Hill region.

Tropical Storm Fred was expected to make landfall late Monday along the Florida panhandle with top sustained winds of 65-70 mph, and then move northward through western Georgia and the western Carolinas Tuesday and into Tuesday night.

Meanwhile, a front is stalled across West Virginia and Virginia.

Meteorologists say a steady flow of tropical moisture will spin northward from the Gulf of Mexico and fall in the form of showers and thunderstorms through Wednesday.

“The flood threat will steadily increase as showers and thunderstorms wet the soil,” says National Weather Service meteorologist Scott Krentz. “At this time, the greatest potential for excessive rain appears to be Tuesday and Tuesday night, as the remnant circulation from Fred moves northward, to the west of the region.”

But nature didn’t wait for Fred. Clusters of heavy showers and storms triggered flash floods Monday in Oconee County, S.C., near Clemson; and between Hickory and Lincolnton in North Carolina.

Krentz said Wednesday’s conditions remain a bit uncertain. He said some computer guidance indicates heavy showers and thunderstorms will remain in the area, while other guidance suggests heavier precipitation will move northward into Kentucky, Ohio and eventually into Canada.

By Thursday and Friday, conditions around the Rock Hill area will return to more typical of late summer, Krentz says. He says afternoon temperatures will approach 90 degrees, with scattered afternoon and evening thunderstorms each day.

Steve Lyttle on Twitter: @slyttle

This story was originally published August 16, 2021 at 1:56 PM with the headline "How much rain will Tropical Storm Fred bring to Rock Hill? And how long will it last?."