2 to 4 inches of rain close roads, strand drivers around Triangle

Heavy rain and flash flooding hit in the early morning hours, causing numerous problems. The sun came out to reveal blue skies in the afternoon, but not before a hectic stretch of weather.

"This is the worst I've seen it in a few years," said Bryant Stonham, who lives in the area.

In the span of a little over an hour when the heaviest rain fell, Crabtree Creek rose seven feet. Floodwater spilled onto Atlantic Avenue, closing one block of the road to be closed for most of the day.

Large trees fell in Garner and in Selma, and Hillsborough closed Gold Park due to flooding, downed trees and power lines.

"Because the rain is starting to taper off a little bit, the time is limited where we're going to see all this flooding on the roads," WRAL meteorologist Elizabeth Gardner said. "We really encourage you, if you don't have to be out there, give it until 10 or 11 o' clock this morning and a lot of that water will be receding off the roads."

WRAL meteorologist Elizabeth Gardner said the majority of the strong storms should be mainly over by 9 a.m. At that point, rain could switch over to snow in some areas, and temperatures will continue to fall throughout the day.

On Haywood Road in Raleigh, just southeast of downtown, a car became stuck in standing water where the street is low-lying. This is one of many reports of stranded cars in the Triangle.

There were reports of more standing water on Interstate 440 in Raleigh between Six Forks Road and Glenwood Avenue. At least two lanes were completely flooded with water, WRAL Brett Knese reported.

Heavy rain and flooding will the biggest threat for everyone, WRAL meteorologist Elizabeth Gardner said. The entire viewing area is at risk for flooding, and a flash flood warning is in effect for the Triangle until 7:45 a.m., which includes Chatham, Durham, Franklin, Granville, Lee, Orange, and Wake counties.

A flood watch is in effect until 10 a.m. for the entire viewing area.

"We're seeing a rapidly changing situation," Gardner said. "But the biggest thing you need to know today is that we're going to see a lot of rain. The big thing is going to be watching the roads for how much water will be on them."

Flash flooding will be possible during the morning commute and throughout the first half of the day, so drivers should pay careful attention. Around 2 to 3 inches of rain could fall before noon.

With the rain could come severe storms, particularly southeast of the Triangle.

According to WRAL meteorologist Peta Sheerwood, the chance for severe weather is greatest before 8 a.m., with the biggest threat being strong storms and gusty winds, which could work with the saturated ground to bring down trees.

An isolated tornado is not out of the question, Gardner said, but it is by no means the biggest threat.

Winds could gust as high as 45 mph across the viewing area at times.

The severe weather threat should end in the early to mid-afternoon.

The final and most exciting weather event meteorologists are tracking Monday is snow, and the farther north you live, the more likely you are to see it.

A winter weather advisory has been issued for three counties: Person, Granville and Mecklenburg, Va., where between 1 and 2 inches of snow could fall, primarily sticking to grassy and elevated surfaces like bridges.

Rain could change over to snow in those northern counties close to the Virginia line around 7 a.m. and in Raleigh by 10 a.m. In the Triangle, temperatures won't be cold enough, so the snow will have a lot of trouble sticking, Sheerwood said, adding that it will mainly be something beautiful to look at.

"Around here, we struggle to see the cold air keep up with the precipitation," Gardner said. "Even if we do change over to snow as far south as the Triangle area, none of that is going to cause problems on the road. The areas we could see [light accumulation] are north of Durham, where the snow would fall for longer and have the potential to overcome the warm ground by piling up faster."

Temperatures, which were in the upper 50s at 4 a.m., will drop throughout the day, into the upper 30s and low 40s by the late morning and all afternoon. The wind chill that will be accompanying those cold temperatures will be bitter.

Orange, Chapel Hill-Carrboro City schools cancel classes due to weather threat

By 6 a.m., Roxboro could be at 31 degrees, and Durham could be at 36 degrees.

Orange County Schools is closing all buildings and programs Monday due to the threat for severe weather. There will be no in-person instruction or remote learning.