Downpours will become more widespread over the southeastern United States into this weekend as tropical and non-tropical features converge and wring copious amounts of moisture out of the atmosphere.
While incidents of flash flooding will tend to be isolated and favor heavily-paved urban areas, there is a high likelihood of downpours spoiling outdoor plans from Florida, westward to Louisiana and northward to portions of Pennsylvania, New Jersey and southern New York state.
At times, the downpours will extend to the Appalachians and spill farther west over portions of the Tennessee and lower Mississippi valleys.
Thursday's rain took a deadly turn turned when the heavy downpour caused a rock slide, which brought a downed tree on top of 73-year-old Barry Wallace's minivan on US 441 near Gatlinburg, Tennessee, according to WBIR 10 News.
According to authorities, Wallace was the only person in the car and died from his injuries.
Dana Soehn, a spokesperson for the park, told the news agency that the area had received over 4 inches of heavy rain in just a little over an hour.
A few states south, St. Petersburg, Florida, received 3.62 inches of rain on Thursday, which set a daily rainfall record.
Other portions of the Sunshine State were also doused with more than an inch of rain falling on Orlando, Vero Beach and Jacksonville to name a few.
Farther north, rain poured down as well over the mainland part of the Southeast states.
Greenville, South Carolina, received 3.47 inches of rain on Thursday, which also set a daily rainfall record.
Downpours also drenched part of the Atlantic metro area, as well as Macon, Georgia; Charlotte, North Carolina; Lynchburg, Virginia; and Patuxent River, Maryland. Each of these locations received more than an inch of rain on Thursday.
These and other areas can expect more rain to fall through Sunday.
There is the potential for 1-3 inches of rain to fall per day in some locations. In some cases, the rainfall can occur in as many hours.
Motorists should expect delays as downpours bring sudden low visibility and cause water to collect in poor drainage areas on streets and highways.
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However, while these will be less-than-ideal conditions at the beach, ballpark or fishing hole, it will not rain the entire time through this weekend even at the rainiest spots.
With some exceptions, the bulk of the downpours will occur between 3 and 9 p.m. local time.
Boaters and anyone outdoors should keep an eye out for rapidly changing weather conditions. Bathers should use caution, in addition to the risk of lightning strikes, rip currents may be stronger and more frequent than average.
The wet pattern is being brought about by three main factors. These include a stalled front, a southward dip in the jet stream and sprawling tropical moisture over the Southeast states with a weak tropical disturbance just offshore over the Atlantic.
During the weekend, as the tropical disturbance at the root of the moisture moves more to the northeast, it is possible that downpours become less numerous over the Florida Peninsula.
However, the overall unsettled pattern is likely to persist over the Southeast through the first part of next week.
By the time the pattern breaks down later next week, some areas in the Southeast may have received 6-10 inches of rain, even though the heaviest rain will fall just offshore of the Atlantic coast.
Download the free AccuWeather app to keep track of the latest tropical activity. Keep checking back for updates on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier and Verizon Fios.
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