In Wayne County, Saturday, residents are anxiously watching the Neuse River near Goldsboro, waiting to see how high the waters will rise.
Slowly but steadily, the river inches upward, with water beginning to pool in the parking area near Ferry Bridge.
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Locals are well aware of what's coming, but all they can do now is wait. The rising waters are already starting to spill onto the roadways, and the Neuse River threatens to flood more areas.
Local farmer Dickie Kornegay is keeping a close eye on the river, concerned about his farms and cash crops.
He's out today with his grandson, Jacob, surveying the situation.
"If the water gets too high, we're going to have to move our equipment out," Kornegay says, sharing nearly a century of family farming wisdom with the next generation. "I cherish this. I really love having him with me, teaching him."
Kornegay faces a tough lesson of Mother Nature being unpredictable.
His tobacco crop is far from what it should be after the storm.
"It's over. That tobacco isn't coming back," Kornegay said. "That's no good."
The combination of a dry start to the season, a wet July, and heavy tropical storm rains has devastated his crop.
"The roots can't take it anymore. See how saturated they are? Kornegay said. "The mud just drops off them. It's too much."
This year's hardships are a harsh lesson for young Jacob, but Kornegay's eternal optimism is something he hopes his grandson will inherit, continuing the farming legacy.
"All you can do is hope for the best," Kornegay says with a hopeful smile.