Flash flood watch canceled for Triangle, light rain continues

A flash flood watch has expired for the Triangle and much of central North Carolina after an active night of rain and some storms from the remnants of Hurricane Sally.

Posted 9:20 a.m. Sep 16, 2020 — Updated 8:22 a.m. Sep 18, 2020

WRAL Severe Weather Center

A flash flood watch has expired for the Triangle and much of central North Carolina after an active night of rain and some storms from the remnants of Hurricane Sally.

The rainy conditions seen across the Triangle on Thursday lessened into the night along with the threat for possible tornadoes. A tornado watch for counties south of the Triangle was canceled as of 8:30 p.m.

See all remaining weather alerts.

Some coastal counties and a few east of the Triangle remain under a flood watch Friday. Brunswick County saw some of the heaviest rain overnight, and a video posted on the North Carolina Weather Authority page showed cars driving through flooded roads in Shallotte.

Areas around central North Carolina received an abundance of rain but no threats of severe flooding were reported. Places like Lake Gaston (2.79 inches), Pinehurst (2.5 inches) and Warrenton (2.72 inches) registered the most amounts of rain in the region as of 7 p.m. In Henderson, up to 3 inches was reported.

On Thursday before the rain, emergency crews were preparing for the worst-case scenario and possible water rescues.

Central NC prepares for possible damage from heavy rain

Earlier this month, two young children riding in their mother's car in Smithfield died when the car was swept away in floodwaters. Eight inches of rain was reported in the area. Their bodies were found days later in a shallow creek near the Neuse River.

There's a chance that saturated grounds could cause some downed trees and power outages Friday as a cold front moves into the area, bringing cooler, breezy conditions for the weekend.

Highs on Friday will be in the low 70s, and on Saturday and Sunday, in the upper 60s. Light rain will continue to fall throughout Friday morning, but the weekend will be dry and pleasant with plenty of sunshine.