THE NEXT DAY, AND THEN THE WATER LEVELS RECEDE, AS FOLKS SHOULD NOT BE DRIVING OUT THAT WAY RIGHT NOW. DO NOT BE DRIVING OUT THERE THIS WEEKEND. GIVE IT A COUPLE DAYS. GIVE IT SOME TIME. RIGHT. YOU KNOW, WATER LEVELS ARE SLOWLY RECEDING, BUT YOU GOT TO GIVE IT SOME TIME BECAUSE MANY ROADS ARE WASHED OUT, IMPASSABLE, AND THE WATER LEVEL STILL HIGH IN THAT PART OF THE STATE. YOU MAY HAVE SEEN ON SOME OF OUR LOCAL HIGHWAYS A D.O.T. SIGNS SAY, DO NOT TRAVEL TO WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA, AND IT SOUNDS EXTREME, BUT THAT’S SOME GOOD ADVICE BECAUSE SERIOUS HISTORIC FLOODING IS IS BEEN WIDESPREAD ACROSS WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA. REMEMBER, IT WASN’T JUST HELENE THAT MOVED THROUGH. WE HAD A PREDECESSOR, RAIN EVENT. IT’S WHAT WE CALL IT IN METEOROLOGY LINGO SET UP OVER WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA. THEY GOT DAYS AND DAYS OF HEAVY RAIN BEFORE HELENE EVEN MOVED IN OVER THE PAST FIVE DAYS, THAT RADAR ESTIMATED RAINFALL HAS BROKEN OUR COLOR SCALE. SOME PLACES IN WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA AND EASTERN TENNESSEE HAVE GOTTEN MORE THAN 20IN OF RAIN IN THE PAST FIVE DAYS, SO IT’S NO SURPRISE THEY HAD HISTORIC FLOODING AND HELENE IS LIKELY ONE OF THE THE WORST STORMS TO EVER HIT WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA. HERE AT HOME, WE STILL HAVE SOME ACTIVE FLOOD ALERTS RIGHT NOW AS WELL. WILKES COUNTIES AND ALLEGHANY COUNTY STILL UNDER A FLASH FLOOD WARNING UNTIL 9:00. FLOOD WARNINGS ALSO ALONG THE YADKIN RIVER BECAUSE WATER LEVELS ARE STILL RUNNING HIGH, THERE. NOW THE GOOD NEWS IS IT WILL TAKE LONGER IN WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA FOR THE WATER TO RECEDE THAN IT WILL HERE. THE NEW RIVER AT GALAX AND THE YADKIN RIVER AT ELKIN HAVE ALREADY CRESTED, AND WATER LEVELS ARE STARTING TO COME BACK DOWN. THE NEW RIVER, STILL AT MAJOR FLOOD STAGE, BUT THE YADKIN RIVER AT ELKIN AT MINOR STAGE. THE ONLY EXCEPTION TO THAT IS THE YADKIN RIVER AT YADKIN COLLEGE IN DAVIDSON COUNTY. IT’S A BIT FURTHER DOWNSTREAM, SO IT’S GOING TO TAKE A LITTLE BIT MORE TIME FOR THAT WATER TO RECEDE. THERE THAN IT IS FURTHER WEST IN THE FOOTHILLS RIGHT NOW. LOW 60S ACROSS THE AREA, SOME UPPER 50S TO THE NORTH AND WEST. PRETTY COMFORTABLE START TO OUR SATURDAY CLEAR SKIES WILL HAVE LOTS OF SUNSHINE EARLY ON. HIGHS WILL BE IN THE UPPER 70S TODAY. LATER THIS AFTERNOON WE MAY SEE A COUPLE EXTRA CLOUDS STREAMING IN AND I CAN’T COMPLETELY RULE OUT A STRAY SHOWER, BUT IT WOULD MAINLY BE AFTER DINNER TIME LATER THIS EVENING AROUND SUNSET. MOST OF OUR SATURDAY IS DRY. WE SHOULDN’T HAVE ANY ISSUES. IT SHOULD BE A GOOD DAY TO GET OUTSIDE. YOU CAN HELP CLEAN UP SOME TREE BRANCHES. PICKING UP THE PIECES FOR FOLKS AFTER THE STORM MOVES THROUGH 60S FOR THE MOUNTAINS AND BREEZY TODAY WITH MAYBE A STRAY SHOWER LATER. THIS AFTERNOON. THE REMNANTS OF HELENE ARE GOING TO CONTINUE TO KIND OF WANDER OVER THE OHIO VALLEY. THE NEXT COUPLE OF DAYS. SO WHILE TODAY’S MAINLY DRY SUNDAY, MONDAY AND INTO TUESDAY, WE COULD HAVE AN ISOLATED SHOWER OR STORM POSSIBLE THROUGH EARLY NEXT WEEK. BUT THE GOOD NEWS IS THOSE RAINFALL TOTALS SHOULD BE FAIRLY SCATTERED AND LIGHT. I’M NOT EXPECTING ANY ADDITIONAL FLOOD CONCERNS FROM THE RAIN. WE GET THE NEXT COUPLE OF DAYS, AND AFTER THAT, NICE WEATHER RETURNS BY THE MIDDLE OF NEXT WEEK, MAYBE EVEN SOM

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Over the course of several days, a stalled front streamed tropical moisture across the western Carolinas, setting the stage for disastrous flooding when Helene moved inland. Helene brought devastating conditions to North Carolina, with the highest rainfall total being reported at 29.5 inches in Busick Raws, in Yancey County.Flash flooding, falling trees, and rapidly rising water levels created life-threatening conditions, forcing authorities to conduct over 100 swift water rescues and evacuate numerous communities.“For western North Carolina, do not travel unless there is an emergency,” Gov. Roy Cooper warned earlier in the day Friday.WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA RAINFALLSeveral climate sites within the North Carolina Environment & Climate Observing network have recorded double-digit rainfall totals since Wednesday, September 25th.Laurel Springs, NC - 17.01"Burnsville, NC - 10.94"Spruce Pine, NC - 14.91"Mount Mitchell State Park - 23.41"Waynesville, NC - 10.09"Boyd, NC - 16.08"For more NC ECONet weather observations, check out The North Carolina Environment and Climate Observing Network (ECONet).Helene will go down in history as one of the worst storms to ever hit western North Carolina.Check out the North Carolina Flood Inundation Mapping & Alert Network for more updates about flooding and to check areas of interest. Keep up with the latest news and weather by downloading the WXII app here.

Over the course of several days, a stalled front streamed tropical moisture across the western Carolinas, setting the stage for disastrous flooding when Helene moved inland.

Helene brought devastating conditions to North Carolina, with the highest rainfall total being reported at 29.5 inches in Busick Raws, in Yancey County.

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Flash flooding, falling trees, and rapidly rising water levels created life-threatening conditions, forcing authorities to conduct over 100 swift water rescues and evacuate numerous communities.“For western North Carolina, do not travel unless there is an emergency,” Gov. Roy Cooper warned earlier in the day Friday.

WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA RAINFALL

Several climate sites within the North Carolina Environment & Climate Observing network have recorded double-digit rainfall totals since Wednesday, September 25th.

Laurel Springs, NC - 17.01"

Burnsville, NC - 10.94"

Spruce Pine, NC - 14.91"

Mount Mitchell State Park - 23.41"

Waynesville, NC - 10.09"

Boyd, NC - 16.08"

For more NC ECONet weather observations, check out The North Carolina Environment and Climate Observing Network (ECONet).

Helene will go down in history as one of the worst storms to ever hit western North Carolina.

Check out the North Carolina Flood Inundation Mapping & Alert Network for more updates about flooding and to check areas of interest.

Keep up with the latest news and weather by downloading the WXII app here.