Soggy start to the week for Triangle residents

It's expected to return to the skies over the Triangle in the middle of this week as the region continues to grapple with the effects of Florence, which was downgraded Sunday to a tropical depression but continues to dump several inches of rain in the region.

iControl: Doppler radar

WRAL meteorologist Elizabeth Gardner said an additional 2 to 4 inches of precipitation could fall in the Triangle through Monday with wind gusts of up to 40 miles per hour.

"We may not see sunshine until the middle of the week," she said. "That will certainly help with the clean-up effort."

WRAL meteorologist Kat Campbell said the Triangle's rain changes will diminish, starting Monday. Heat and humidity will return, which could pose a problem for residents who didn't evacuate and have no power in their homes.

Florence is expected to hook around and head north after leaving South Carolina and return to the western part of North Carolina, where Asheville and other areas in the mountains could see heavy rain.

Several areas in the Triangle were under a flash flood watch.

Gardner said Sunday we could see heavy rain at times as occasional rain bands move through the area.

The high temperature Sunday is expected to top out in the upper 70s with lows in the upper 60s.

Residents in Cumberland County and Fayetteville can expect to see 3 to 6 additional inches of rain with wind gusts of up to 45 miles per hour, Gardner said.

She said the Neuse River could see major flooding all the way through Friday.