Good Wednesday afternoon,
We continue to monitor #Debby as it is located about 100 miles south of Myrtle Beach South Carolina as of the most recent update from the National Hurricane Center. Winds are officially 60 mph located within bands off-shore the South Carolina Coast. Dry air has done a job on the widespread nature of the rain but those feeder bands are still focusing locally excessive rainfall where they set up.
The positioning of those bands are going to play a huge role in tomorrow’s forecast across western North Carolina. The Weather Prediction Center has placed the US 321 and I-77 corridor in a Moderate Risk for excessive rainfall tomorrow with the Blue Ridge Escarpment in a Slight Risk.
Forecast Timeline:
Thursday 2 am: Debby should be making a second landfall near Georgetown South Carolina moving northwest. Feeder bands will follow the inland track and will be just East of I-77.
Thursday 12 pm: Center of Debby will be located in the South Carolina Midlands east of Columbia SC slowly moving north. Precip banding will be in the Western Piedmont and parts of the Foothills.
Thursday 8 pm: Surface remains of Debby will be entering into the Southern Piedmont of North Carolina, not far from Wadesboro. Banding of rain continues west and northwest of the low track with them retreating northeast after this point.
The Bottom Line
Bands of locally heavy rainfall will set up tomorrow across the Western Piedmont and some Foothill locations. Rain will begin in the eastern sections during the morning and extend west through early afternoon. Once the storm reaches into Central North Carolina Thursday evening, the rain bands will gradually pivot northeast and leave the region by late Thursday night.
Best estimate on rainfall amounts:
Polk, Rutherford, McDowell Counties: 0.75 – 2.00 (Flood Risk: Low)
Caldwell, Burke, Cleveland Counties: 1.25 – 3.00 (Flood Risk: Low)
Alexander, Catawba, Lincoln Counties: 2.00 – 4.00 inches, local 5 inches (Flood Risk: Medium)