Flood watch issued for Rock Hill region, with 5-7 inches of rain forecast.
A flash flood watch has been issued for the Rock Hill area, with forecasters warning that the remnants of Hurricane Sally could bring heavy rain and flooding Thursday and early Friday.
The flood watch covers much of the Carolinas and Georgia, with around a half-foot of rain predicted for the Rock Hill area and adjacent regions. National Weather Service meteorologists warn that some localized heavier amounts are possible.
“Storm total rainfall of 5 to 7 inches is expected across much of the watch area over a 24- to 30-hour period,” says National Weather Service meteorologist Harry Gerapetritis. “A few locations could see totals approach or exceed 9 inches.”
Gerapetritis says showers are expected to arrive from the southwest in the early-morning hours Thursday, intensify around midday Thursday, and continuing into early Friday morning before tapering off around daybreak.
“This amount of rain will produce areas of flash flooding along smaller streams, creeks and in urban areas,” Gerapetritis says.
County and state officials across the watch area spent Wednesday preparing for the storm.
The S.C. Department of Transportation had several crews clearing leaves, limbs and other debris from roadside culverts.
One road closure had been announced. The York County Office of Emergency Management said it shut down Wilson Chapel Road at the creek crossing late Wednesday afternoon.
Officials also closed the Fort Mill access to the Catawba River, in part because of anticipated heavy rain and also because river levels rose Wednesday when Duke Energy began releasing water from Lake Wylie.
Heavy rain is expected to be the major threat from the remnants of Sally, but it won’t be the only concern for meteorologists.
Gerapetritis says computer guidance indicates the atmosphere will become unstable enough Thursday afternoon for the possibility of tornadoes. In addition, gusty winds around the circulation of Sally could be strong enough to knock down trees, especially with the anticipated soggy ground conditions, Gerapetritis says.
Sally dropped more than 24 inches of rain along parts of the eastern Gulf coast, with lesser amounts expected as the weakening storm moves inland across Alabama, Georgia and South Carolina.
Government meteorologists have the Rock Hill area included in a “Moderate” risk of flash flooding -- the second-highest warning level. That means there will be a 20-50 percent chance of flash flooding within a 25-mile radius of any location in the area.
Once the remnants of Sally move to the east, a strong cold front is predicted to sweep across the region and bring much cooler conditions for the weekend.
Sunshine is forecast to return for Saturday, Sunday and the early part of next week, with daytime highs barely reaching 70 degrees and morning lows around 50.
“The atmosphere will reward us for the ugliness of the short term by providing a no-less-than-spectacular medium range,” says Justin Lane, a National Weather Service meteorologist. “In other words, classic mid-fall weather in September.”