Weather

Water recedes at Crabtree Valley Mall after day of closure

Heavy rain throughout the Triangle that flooded roads will eventually trail off Tuesday, but it could bring another inch of precipitation to an already soaked region.

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RALEIGH, N.C. — Heavy rain throughout the Triangle that flooded roads eventually trailed off Tuesday, but it brought even more precipitation to an already soaked region.

As much as eight inches of rain has fallen since the storms began on Sunday—Raleigh-Durham International Airport recorded more than four inches of rain on Monday, which broke the record for most rain in a day.

WRAL Chief Meteorologist Greg Fishel said the storms should be over across the viewing area, but some areas are still recovering from flooding.

Crabtree Valley Mall closed Tuesday morning amid flooding concerns, although Belk and Sears reopened around noon Tuesday. The mall will reopen for regular business Wednesday, but mall officials said they would have to check the lower level for debris.

Heavy bands of rain early Tuesday morning, flooding roads, knocking out power to more than 13,000 people in Wake County. Power was restored to most customers before 8 a.m.

Vernon Malone Career and College Academy dismissed students at 10 a.m. on Tuesday due to rising water levels.

"When they came in the building this morning, they had water in the gymnasium, water in one classroom and water in one minute administrative office," said Lisa Luten, a spokesperson for Wake County Schools. "The kids are two weeks away from final exams. We hope to get the kids back in the classroom as soon as possible."

Lake Wheeler in Raleigh were also closed to boats Tuesday. Boat ramps, trash cans and sings were underwater. Several people reported canoes and kayaks missing after floating away from their properties. Two docks at the lake are still damaged from Hurricane Matthew.

Coastal states are beautiful, but living there comes with risk. 2017 was a horrific year for hurricanes in North Carolina, and weather experts say this year could be too.

Some of the flood waters began to recede around the region, but the waters left behind some damage. A chunk of Cornwallis Road near Shiloh Road in Johnston County was washed out.

Persistent rain around the region flooded portions of Capital Boulevard on Tuesday morning.
As the rain water begins to drain away from the Triangle, rivers in the region are expected to flood later in the week. Gardner said the Neuse and Tar rivers could swell, bringing moderate to severe flooding where the rivers flow through Clayton, Smithfield, Goldsboro and Tarboro.

"We see the creeks rising, and now we're going to start to see some flooding on the rivers," Gardner said.

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