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Southeast Stunned by Sudden, Extreme Rainfall Events
5 Nov
Summary
- Five 'flash flood emergencies' were issued due to sudden, extreme rainfall.
- Some areas received over a foot of rain, with localized totals up to 26 inches.
- Unforeseen localized weather patterns made forecasting these events difficult.
Unsettled weather across the Southeast has resulted in several severe flash flood events, with five 'flash flood emergencies' issued by the National Weather Service. These alerts are reserved for catastrophic and life-threatening flooding. Some locations have received over a foot of rain in a short period, with localized totals reaching as high as 26 inches.
The unexpected nature of these events, occurring unusually for late October or November, highlights challenges in forecasting. Meteorologists noted that these incidents stemmed from mesoscale, or local, atmospheric mechanisms, which are difficult to predict more than a couple of hours in advance. These small-scale influences include phenomena like mesoscale convective vortexes and weak troughs, which can stall thunderstorms over specific areas.
Notable events included Halloween night flooding in Mississippi and Louisiana, where 6 to 18.5 inches of rain fell. Florida experienced severe flooding on Monday, with Palm Bay measuring an estimated 26 inches of rain. Northern Georgia also saw a flash flood emergency Wednesday night, with over 8.73 inches recorded in some areas, leading to record river crests and inundated structures.
