Soaking storms for weekend truckers across South

As if parts of the South haven’t had enough rain this spring, more is on the way this weekend. Flash flooding has been an unfortunate fact of life, and the risk may linger into next week in some places.

Showers and thunderstorms will linger on the Gulf and East coasts Friday as a frontal system stalls across these regions. Heavy rain could drench areas from southern New England to Florida to Texas. The National Weather Service (NWS) has a flash flood watch posted for eastern North Carolina and southern Virginia, lasting until noon EDT Friday.

Most of the heavy rain Saturday will target the lower Mississippi Valley, Arklatex region and eastern Texas. By late Sunday, moderate to heavy rain will spread northward into the middle Mississippi Valley, as well as the Tennessee and Ohio Valleys. Repeated downpours will continue into next week, with rain totals of 6 inches or more possible by Wednesday morning.

Because the ground is already saturated from recent rain, and the impending rain will hit many low-lying areas, flash flooding may be inevitable in some locations. Drivers could run into ramp and road closures, especially on secondary routes. The NWS may issue additional flash flood watches over the weekend.