Remnants of tropical storm Andrea threatens North Carolina residents with heavy rain and tornadoes

As rain swelled the banks of local rivers, creeks, and streams over the latter half of this past week, residents of North Carolina looked to dry out this weekend from the persistent rains and threats of severe weather brought along by the first named storm of the 2013 Atlantic Hurricane Season, Tropical Storm Andrea.

Tropical Storm Andrea was a quick-forming storm, pulling itself together in the eastern half of the Gulf of Mexico midway through the week and moving to assault the residents of the eastern seaboard as it moved northward. After soaking rains, heavy winds, and tornadoes battered parts of Florida, Andrea quickly picked up ground speed and moved quickly across the eastern coast of Georgia late Thursday evening, moving north to flood the Carolinas with a light, consistent rain, intermixed with bouts of absolute downpours.

The effects of Andrea in North Carolina were sweeping, but not as severe as they could have been.Dave Malkoff of The Weather Channel reported that with tornado warnings spotting various areas in the eastern half of the state, school districts cancelled the last day of school and even cancelled graduation for some. However, according to the AP: Mike Sprayberry of North Carolina Emergency Management told the Weather Channel that there had been some flash flooding and local road closures in the state, but nothing as severe as some storms in the past.

The vulnerable Outer Banks were spared any major damage or flooding. In Chapel Hill, rains led to the postponement of NCAA baseball super regionals between North Carolina and South Carolina, as well as N.C. State and Rice. Elsewhere, flooding seemed to cause minor incidents, but nothing life-threatening.

In an interesting note, Michael Lowry, Hurricane Expert at The Weather Channel, notes that this is the first time that the National Hurricane Center has chosen to issue tropical storm advisories for a post-tropical system, a direct response from the new rules put in place after the confusion and devastation left behind by Hurricane/Superstorm Sandy.

Residents of the East Coast will be happy to hear that the days of overcast skies and rain-soaked shoes look to have abated for now, as Andrea speeds to the north. As a warm front pushes eastward, Andrea picked up speed and rocketed to the Northeast at 39 mph. The storm will more than likely continue to pick up speed and was expected to be a non-threat to the United States by early Sunday morning.