Flash flood watch in effect for Washington, DC, major Mid-Atlantic cities amid storm risks
As 27 million Americans are under severe thunderstorm and flash flood watch on Wednesday, a line of strong storms packing intense rainfall is threatening the Mid-Atlantic and Southeast.
Major I-95 cities -- Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington, D.C., and Richmond, Virginia -- could be impacted as heavy downpours could bring 2-3 inches of rainfall per hour over already saturated soils, which could easily cause flash flooding.
Flash flood warnings are in effect for Washington, D.C., and swaths of Maryland and Virginia until 8:45 p.m. ET, according to the National Weather Service (NWS).
A Severe Thunderstorm Watch has been issued for the Mid-Atlantic region through midnight, according to the NWS.
The greatest threat with these storms will be damaging wind gusts up to 70mph and isolated hail. A brief tornado warning was in effect in the northern D.C. area on Wednesday evening.
Flash flooding is also a major concern with these storms that are expected to produce very heavy downpours.
Flood Watches are also in effect from North Carolina to Pennsylvania. These areas have seen a lot of rain lately, so the soil is also saturated.
Another round of severe storms is expected in the Carolinas on Thursday.
The flood threats on the East Coast come as hard-hit Texas and New Mexico continue to reel from catastrophic flooding.
The statewide death toll in Texas has climbed to at least 120 on Wednesday, with 172 people still considered missing, officials said.
Kerr County was hit the hardest, with at least 95 deaths, including 36 children. President Donald Trump signed a disaster declaration for the county and the Federal Emergency Management Agency is on the ground there as search and rescue operations are ongoing.
The destructive flooding hit in the early morning hours of July 4, causing the Guadalupe River in Kerr County to rise by 26 feet in less than an hour, spilling its banks and flooding multiple summer camps and RV parks along the river.
In New Mexico, three people are dead, including two children, due to record-breaking flooding, local authorities said Tuesday.
The three were "swept downstream by the unprecedented floodwaters that struck" the Village of Ruidoso, village officials said in a statement.
The Rio Ruidoso rose "to a record-breaking 20 feet -- 5 feet higher than the previous record," officials said. The area was pummeled with 3.5 inches of rain in about 90 minutes, which impacted the community "head on," officials said on Wednesday.
