Leftover downpours from post-Tropical Storm Beta have been soaking the South almost all week. Major flash flooding and daily record rainfall hit Houston Tuesday, followed by portions of the lower Mississippi River Valley Wednesday and Thursday. Beta’s remnants soaked the Tennessee Valley Thursday night, but not many areas were flooded.
The system is moving through parts of the Carolinas and mid-Atlantic Friday, but overall it’s losing steam. However, drivers may still run into pockets of heavy rainfall and reduced visibility through Friday night from upstate South Carolina to Raleigh-Durham and the Outer Banks in North Carolina and southern Virginia. Ramp and road closures are possible, especially on secondary routes.
The National Weather Service had not issued flood or flash flood watches as of Friday morning, but this may change if the rainfall becomes heavier than expected or lasts longer than expected.
Other weekend weather
Thunderstorms could produce scattered areas of large hail and severe winds Friday across northern Wisconsin and portions of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. This will not affect interstate travel but will impact U.S. Highway 2 as well as a few other U.S. and state routes.
Isolated severe thunderstorms could pop up Saturday and Sunday from northern Texas to the Upper Midwest.
Drivers may hit areas of wet snow or a snow-rain mix Friday and Friday night in northern parts of the Cascades and Rockies. Snow will not likely stick to Interstate 90, but roads over high-elevation mountain passes will be extra slick.
Large wildfires continue to burn on both sides of I-5, from northern California into Oregon. State departments of transportation are not reporting any fire-related closures on I-5 in this region, but winds could blow smoke across the highway in some areas this weekend.
