Amy J. Vellucci Knoxville News Sentinel Had enough of the rain, East Tennessee? Well, prepare for more. Heavy rains are forecast for Sunday through Thursday across much of East Tennessee, with flooding and flash flooding possible mid-week, according to the National Weather Service. Fortunately, Knox and Sevier counties may see fewer drivers on the roads for the next several days, as schools are closed through Wednesday due to illness. Campbell County Schools are closed Monday for widespread sickness as well. Additionally, Monday is Presidents Day, so some may have the day off work. Showers and downpours through Sunday night are expected across East Tennessee, far Southwest North Carolina and Southwest Virginia, with 1 to 1 1/2 inches possible across the southern Tennessee Valley and the Great Smoky Mountains. But Tuesday night through Thursday will see the worst of it. "Due to the saturation of the ground from previous rain events, most of the rainfall is expected to result in excessive runoff with some areas of localized flooding possible. Stream flooding, roadway flooding, ponding of low-level areas and potential mud slides are all possible," according to the NWS website. Heavy rain, flooding late Tuesday-Thursday Lots of rain and possible thunderstorms are expected to hit Southeast Tennessee and Southwest North Carolina beginning late in the afternoon Tuesday. Periods of heavy rain will spread across the rest of East Tennessee and Southwest Virginia Tuesday night and continue through Thursday, according to the NWS. The heaviest rains are expected to fall across the Plateau, central and southern sections of East Tennessee, and Southwest North Carolina where 5 to 7 inches are possible. Across Southwest Virginia and Northeast Tennessee, 2 to 4 inches of rainfall is possible. Record-breaking rainfall has plagued parts of East Tennessee over the past few days, especially around the Chattanooga area. "Since the ground is already saturated and streams are high, any additional heavy rainfall will likely cause flash flooding. Major river flooding is also a concern for mid to late next week," according to the NWS. In recent weeks, heavy rains led to landslides that added to headaches for drivers in Hancock and Anderson counties. A gaping, non-traversable hole in State Road 66 straddled the Hancock/Hawkins County line, creating a new, longer commute to get around the wreckage. It has since been repaired. Elsewhere, State Road 116 in Anderson County also experienced a slide a few weeks ago, with portions of the road breaking and falling away, also attributed to the heavy rains. This story is being provided free to all readers as a public service by the News Sentinel. Please consider supporting local journalism by subscribing.<doc-sep>Natalie Allison Nashville Tennessean After days of record-setting February rainfall, it was a mostly sunny Sunday in the Nashville area. Recent rainfall brought the month's total to 13.5 inches, a new record for February that surpassed the previous record set in 1880. It's also the seventh-wettest month on record in the city. Nearly 3 inches of rain fell in Nashville on Friday and Saturday, according to the National Weather Service. Rain is in the forecast for Middle Tennessee during the latter half of the week into next weekend, though NWS meteorologists say a few days of dry weather mean it's unlikely there will be additional flooding. Deaths reported around Tennessee since heavy rains began earlier this month While there were scattered reports of water rescues at homes and from cars, no fatalities were reported over the weekend in Middle Tennessee as a result of the flooding. A man was killed in Knoxville early Sunday when his car was submerged in floodwater. In Chattanooga, a police officer was inspecting a manhole cover Saturday night when a vehicle fatally struck him and fled the scene. Earlier this month, two other individuals died as a result of heavy rains and flooding that began Feb. 6, including a woman who was swept away by floodwaters in Cheatham County and a man killed in a mudslide in Hawkins County, TEMA reported. "It appears most of the flooding involved roads and generally minor property damage and not destroyed homes," said NWS meteorologist Sam Herron of the weekend's rain. "That’s really been the good news here." Gov. Bill Lee, who declared a state of emergency in Tennessee on Saturday and returned early from a National Governor's Association event in Washington, will survey damage on Monday with the Department of Military, according to his office. The state of emergency remains in effect, and Lee may return Sunday to the state emergency operations center at TEMA headquarters in Nashville, as he did on Saturday night. Across the state, 13 counties have declared local states of emergency, including Cheatham and Maury counties in Middle Tennessee. At flooded RV park, 'today's a work day' Rainfall also displaced weekend residents at the Grand Ole RV Resort and Market in Goodlettsville on Saturday night, where a surge of flash flooding sent residents fleeing as water rose to waist level. On Sunday morning, campers were taking stock of their belongings. “Today’s a work day,” said Stephen Brown, who was cleaning out the compartments on the bottom of his RV while his dog Buddy sat nearby. The mood was calm, a far cry from a chaotic Saturday night. The water had subsided, leaving a pasty layer of mud over the gravel throughout the property. “The water came up so fast a lot of us couldn’t get out in time,” Brown said. “Hard to believe it’s all gone.” At the main office of the RV park, residents streamed in to drink coffee and compare notes. One woman said she thought her RV was totaled. Others said they hadn’t seen much damage. Owner Tommy Cunningham, who was frying eggs and bacon in the kitchen, said he was having new gravel brought in and expected residents who had left to stream back in throughout the day. “We’ve flooded before, but this is the worst it’s ever been,” Cunningham said. “When it comes as fast as it did last night, it catches you off guard.” Army Corps of Engineers release water from Cumberland Lake On Sunday, the Cumberland River in downtown Nashville was below the moderate flood stage level of 42 feet — lower than the NWS initially predicted — though water being released from high rivers and lakes upstream will continue to move down in the coming days, Herron said. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers are working this weekend to release water from the Cumberland Lake in Kentucky at Wolf Creek Dam to alleviate high water levels. "The Cumberland River is going to maintain a very high level for several days because of all the water coming in from various sources," Herron said. While most of the flash flooding had subsided Sunday morning, wind gusts of up to 45 miles per hour were being measured in Nashville. No flood damage had been reported to structures along the Harpeth River in Williamson County. In Maury County, several roads were flooded along the Duck River, though Columbia Fire Chief Ty Cobb said the department was calling off evacuations after knocking on more than 115 doors and assisting 15 residents overnight along the river. Several buildings were flooded in Columbia along the Duck, but Cobb said he felt as if the worst was over. Cobb said he expected some roads to remain closed for several days due to the high water level. Crews rescue families from homes, though major flooding not widespread The heaviest rainfall in recent days has been southwest of Nashville, particularly in areas around Columbia, Lawrenceburg and Waynesboro, where some places received more than 6 inches of rain on Friday and Saturday. In Giles County, a woman, three children and several dogs were rescued Saturday from a home in the Prospect community, NWS reported. A water rescue in Coffee County allowed officials to remove an elderly couple from their home, while crews in Davidson County had to rescue someone unable to come to shore while on a house boat at Four Corners Marina. Multiple people trapped in cars were pulled out of water Saturday in the Murfreesboro area. Across Nashville, the fire department responded to at least 60 water rescue calls Saturday evening, though none involved serious injuries. Mudslide closes portion of Interstate 24 in Nashville for a week The rainfall caused a landslide overnight Saturday on Interstate 24 near the Whites Creek area north of Nashville, prompting a portion of the eastbound interstate to close for at least the next week, according to the Tennessee Department of Transportation. As geotechnical engineers began to assess the situation Sunday, TDOT officials reported that contractors working around the clock would need at least a week to secure the area and clear the interstate. Cindy Fleenor, of Clarksville, was among those forced to take a detour as she was traveling along I-24 headed to Chattanooga for an overnight trip with a friend. "Now we are just going to Nashville," she said Sunday morning from the parking lot of a gas station near the I-24 detour. "It was crawling most of the way. I expect it will be this way all day.” Evacuations, water outage reported elsewhere Meanwhile, an American Red Cross shelter that opened Saturday at McGavock High School closed Sunday morning, according to the Nashville Office of Emergency Management. The Metro Nashville Police Department had urged residents in the Pennington Bend Road, Opryland and Miami Avenue neighborhood and those at the KOA Campground an Old Hickory areas to evacuate Saturday evening before water levels rose. In Murfreesboro, flooding made a number of roads impassable. Water had entered homes around the Steelson Way and Royal Glen Boulevard area in Murfreesboro on Saturday, according to the Rutherford County Sheriff's Office. Residents in the Dickson County town of Vanleer are under a water boil advisory due to several underground water main breaks over the weekend, according to county emergency management director Rob Fisher. Fisher said water from the system might not be usable for three to four days. TEMA estimates 200 residents are without water. Staff with the Dickson County Emergency Management Agency and other Vanleer volunteers are handing out bottled water Sunday at the Vanleer Fire Department. This is a developing story. Check back for more information. Adam Tamburin, Jason Gonzales, Stephanie Ingersoll and Mariah Timms contributed to this story. Reach Natalie Allison at nallison@tennessean.com. Follow her on Twitter at @natalie_allison. This story is being provided free to all readers as a public service by the Tennessean. Please consider supporting local journalism by subscribing.<doc-sep>
Following a rainy and dreary Sunday, Nashville woke up to dry skies Monday morning. But the stint isn't expected to last long, the National Weather Service in Nashville is predicting. Although a high of 43 degrees and clear skies are anticipated during the day, a round of heavy rain will move into Middle Tennessee Tuesday afternoon and continue off and on through early Thursday, the NWS reported. "Rainfall amounts from Tuesday through Thursday are forecast to reach 2-4", which could easily cause flooding," NWS tweeted. Nashville Mayor David Briley on Sunday afternoon urged residents to exercise caution ahead of the rainy weather. The city is working with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Office of Emergency Management and Metro Water Services to monitor the expected rainfall and its impact on area rivers, creeks and other waterways. “Today, I convened a call with U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Metro Water Services so that we are best prepared for the week ahead,” Briley said in a statement Sunday. “I want the residents of our city to know that we are taking this situation very seriously. It is imperative that everyone be careful as we move through this week and stay updated on any weather developments.” In his statement, Briley said: The Corps of Engineers is monitoring the forecast and will be proactive in how it manages the Cumberland River reservoir system to lessen flooding concerns. Weighing the need to recover storage upstream with the risk of releasing water into the river below dams is a "carefully calculated decision made by the Corps," the mayor's office said. The city's Office of Emergency Management will have swift water rescue crews and volunteers available to respond and will work closely with Metro Water Services and Metro Public Works to respond to any flooding. Metro water crews will focus on clearing debris from storm drains in known flooding areas. The mayor urged residents to help by making sure their property is clear of debris and yard waste and by checking nearby storm drains and removing any trash or debris on the top of grates. To report problems, residents should call 615-862-4600. The weather pattern will continue to affect Middle Tennessee over the next week, with repetitive rounds of rain and thunderstorms expected almost every day. Additional heavy rain is also anticipated for next weekend. Several more rounds of heavy rain totaling up to 4 inches are forecast from Friday through Sunday. The latest forecast rainfall totals over the next seven days range from 4 inches over northwest Middle Tennessee to more than 9 inches in southeast Middle Tennessee. Over the next week Nashville could see nearly 7 inches of rain, forecasters say. Clarksville could see more than 6 inches, Cookeville could see nearly 7.5 inches and Lawrence County could get more than 8.5 inches. "The anticipated rain coupled with the unusually wet start to the year and already saturated ground, will likely lead to flooding along area rivers, creeks, and streams, as well as some roadways, low lying areas, and other poor drainage locations," NWS wrote in a statement. "Residents throughout Middle Tennessee should continue to closely monitor the potential heavy rainfall and flooding this week." Through Saturday, Nashville had received 6.83 inches of rainfall this month. The most rain the city has received in February was 12.37 inches in 1880, followed by 10.95 inches in 1820. Last year comes in third place with 10.91 inches of rain in February. "At the rate we're going now, we have a chance of breaking the all-time record for February," said Mark Richards, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Nashville. Reach Natalie Neysa Alund at nalund@tennessean.com and follow her on Twitter @nataliealund. This story is being provided free to all readers as a public service by The Tennessean. Please consider supporting local journalism by subscribing.