Flood watches were in effect in the U.S. southeast early Monday as forecasters warn of the possibility of torrential downpours on Labor Day across already saturated ground.
Waves of showers and storms were expected to develop Monday in the region, as moisture from the Gulf of Mexico continues to stream across the South, the National Weather Service said. Some training storms — storms that drop several inches of rain as they move over the same areas like train cars — were also possible, the weather service said.
Parts of Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina, Kentucky, Virginia and West Virginia were under flash flood watches through Monday evening. The chance for flash flooding also extended to the northeast, into Pennsylvania and parts of southern New England, the weather service said.
Among the hardest-hit areas in this weekend's storms was northwest Georgia, where 12 inches (30 centimeters) of rain fell in some spots, forecasters said. Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp on Sunday declared a state of emergency in Chattooga and Floyd counties. That directed all state resources to help with “preparation, response and recovery activities.”
In Chattooga County, church pastors and volunteers planned to distribute water on Monday in the small towns of Summerville and Trion, according to the Chattooga County Emergency Management Agency. Summerville city officials also had water available at its city hall.
The city of Summerville advised residents who use the city’s water utility services to boil water prior to drinking, cooking or preparing baby food due to flash flooding at the Raccoon Creek Filter plant. It wasn't clear on Monday how long it would take to make repairs to the system.
