Flash Flood Warning Today: Live Updates, Impact Zones, and Essential Safety Tips

H2: Millions Under Flash Flood Warnings as Spring Storms Stall Across the U.S. A slow-moving storm system is drenching large portions of the South, Mid-Atlantic and Northeast today, prompting the National Weather Service (NWS) to issue multiple flash flood warnings and flood watches that stretch from central Texas to coastal New Jersey. Forecasters warn that saturated ground, swollen creeks and repeated rounds of downpours could turn normally dry streets into dangerous torrents within minutes. H3: Carolinas — Rainfall Rates Topping 2″ per Hour In North Carolina’s Piedmont region, a flash flood warning is in effect through late Thursday night after radar estimated 3–5 inches of rain in just a few hours. Urban areas around Charlotte, Concord and Gastonia are already seeing roads submerged, and officials are urging drivers to avoid low-lying crossings. Additional thunderstorms are expected to redevelop this evening, raising the risk of rapid rises along the Catawba and Yadkin rivers. H3: Pennsylvania & New Jersey — Watch Upgraded to Warning Possible Farther north, a broad flood watch covers eastern Pennsylvania and 11 counties in New Jersey until at least Saturday morning, with localized totals forecast to exceed 6 inches where training storms repeatedly track over the same corridor. Meteorologists say the soil is already saturated from earlier May rains, increasing the likelihood that watches will be upgraded to flash flood warnings as thunderstorms intensify Friday afternoon. H3: Central Texas — Deadly Deluge After Sunset Central Texas residents are still cleaning up after Wednesday night’s severe storms unleashed flash flooding that swept vehicles off roads in Hays and Caldwell counties, claiming at least two lives according to local officials. Although storms have moved east, emergency managers caution that any additional rainfall could trigger new warnings because rivers remain above bank-full stage. H3: What a Flash Flood Warning Means A flash flood warning signals that life-threatening flooding is either imminent or already occurring. It differs from a flood watch, which only indicates favorable conditions. If a warning is issued for your area: • Move immediately to higher ground; do not wait for evacuation instructions. • Never attempt to drive across a flooded road—just 6 inches of fast-moving water can stall most passenger cars, and 12 inches can sweep them away. • Keep children and pets out of storm drains, culverts and swift water. H3: Forecast Snapshot • Rainfall potential: additional 1–4 inches across the warning zone, locally higher. • Timing: storms refire this afternoon and again overnight as a frontal boundary lingers. • Threats: flash flooding, isolated damaging winds and frequent cloud-to-ground lightning. The NWS expects the upper-level trough to shift offshore by Saturday evening, allowing drier air to filter in and gradual river recessions from Sunday onward. Until that happens, heed all flash flood warnings, sign up for local alerts, and remember the mantra: “Turn Around, Don’t Drown.”