Heavy rain triggers flash flood emergency in Southern states as cross-country storm shifts east

Torrential rain triggered Flash Flood Emergencies across Polk County, Tennessee, and Fannin County, Georgia, along the state line early Thursday after storms fired along the southern end of a massive cross-country storm that will move into the East Coast through the day.Police in McCaysville, Georgia, asked people in some neighborhoods to evacuate immediately just before 3 a.m.local time.

County officials said swiftwater rescues were underway amid widespread flooding with water into multiple homes. The City of McCaysville declared a state of emergency just after 5 a.m.The flooding caused a propane tank to catch fire in a local business in McCaysville, Georgia.The Ocoee River surged into major flood stage after between 5 and 8 inches of rain fell across much of the region over just 12 hours.Georgia State Patrol helicopters are on standby to assist with evacuations, the Fannin County Emergency Management Agency said.The City of Copperhill, Tennessee, said early Thursday that the city is closed and warned people to stay away from downtown or any areas along the river.Polk County, Tennessee, announced all schools would be closed Thursday.Showers and storms will rumble into the East Coast through the day on Thursday, bringing an end to a more than two-week stretch of dry, sunny weather across parts of the Northeast.More than an inch of rain is possible across much of the Interstate 95 corridor, with localized amounts approaching 2–3 inches along the coast from Virginia to southeast New England.The rain will continue through Friday and is expected to taper off through the day from south to north.On Friday, a Level 1 out of 4 flash flood risk covers parts of Suffolk County on New York’s Long Island and parts of eastern Connecticut and southeast Massachusetts.A Level 2 threat includes Newport and Providence, Rhode Island, as well as parts of southeastern Massachusetts.Rain will linger across southern New England through Saturday morning.Much of the Northeast has seen...