Even with hurricane Joaquin no longer as big of a threat, the weekend promises little relief for the most waterlogged parts of the US east coast.
Once the rain ends, as early as Saturday in some places, the threat of flooding persists because the ground is too saturated to absorb water, meteorologists say. And high winds could bring down trees like the one that hit a vehicle near Fayetteville, North Carolina, killing a passenger, the Associated Press reported.
The storm also has been linked to a drowning in Spartanburg, South Carolina.
Flood watches and warnings also are in effect in Delaware and parts of New Jersey, Maryland and Virginia.
Meteorologists said the Carolinas will probably get the worst of it, including possible landslides in the mountains.
“It’s going to be a slow-motion disaster,” said meteorologist Ryan Maue of Weather Bell Analytics.
Hurricane Joaquin, no longer seen as a danger to the Atlantic seaboard, continued Friday on a path expected to keep it well off the US coast.
“It looks like we dodged a bullet this time,” New Jersey governor Chris Christie said amid street flooding at the Jersey shore, devastated by superstorm Sandy nearly three years ago. “Let’s keep our fingers crossed.”