Live Updates: Rain, storms from Florence hitting area; Flood Watch in effect

PITTSBURGH — Tropical Depression Florence is still dumping huge amounts of rain along the coast of North and South Carolina. The remnants are taking a turn to the north toward Pittsburgh.

STORM TRACKER: Hour-by-hour timing of rain, storms from Florence

Monday, Sept. 17, 5 p.m.

Florence is now categorized as "Post-Tropical Storm Florence."

Widespread soaking rain from Florence is winding down, but the threat of a gusty storm continues.

Storms with heavy downpours and strong wind gusts will continue to move through the area this evening.

Scattered showers and drizzle will stick around through early Tuesday as the system moves out of our area.

Monday, Sept. 17, 11 a.m.

A Flood Watch is in effect for Westmoreland, Fayette, Indiana and Garrett counties. It will continue through 8 a.m. Tuesday.

Monday, Sept. 17, 4 a.m.

Tropical Depression Florence will continue its northern track, bringing rain to our area Monday.

Rain will spread from south to north through the day with pockets of heavy rain possible at times.

An areal Flood Watch has been issued for Westmoreland, Fayette, Indiana and Garrett counties. It will go into effect at 11 a.m. Monday and continue through 8 a.m. Tuesday.

Rain should arrive in Washington by 8 a.m., Pittsburgh and Greensburg by 10 a.m. and Butler by noon.

Rain will be on and off through Monday night. Much of the area will see 1 to 2 inches through Monday night.

Widespread flooding is not expected, but repeated rounds of heavy rain could lead to some localized flooding.

A strong to severe thunderstorm could also develop late day, with isolated damaging winds or a weak tornado.

Sunday, Sept. 16, 5 p.m.

Tropical Storm Florence continues to produce widespread, heavy rain over much of North Carolina and eastern South Carolina.

The center of the storm is currently 25 miles southeast of Greenville, South Carolina.

Flooding and catastrophic river flooding will continue through a significant portion of the Carolinas.

The storm is moving north at 14 miles per hour and has maximum sustained winds of 35 miles per hour.

Rain will move into our area toward dawn and taper off by Tuesday afternoon.

Flooding along the rivers is still possible, but looks less likely.

Stay alert to changing weather conditions especially on streams and creeks as heavy downpours can cause water to rise very quickly

Our team of meteorologists is keeping an eye on when and where the remnants will impact our area.  Check back often with Severe Weather Team 11 for updates. 

Sunday, Sept. 16, 9 a.m.

Florence is now a Tropical Depression. The storm is still dumping large amounts of rain along the coast of North and South Carolina.

The center of Tropic Storm Florence is 20 miles southwest of Columbia South Carolina. Sustained wind is now 35 miles per hour, movement is west west at 8 miles per hour.

Over the next few days, the winds will continue to weaken.

The remnants will take a turn to the north toward Pittsburgh later today. Rain will move into the area late tonight and taper off by Tuesday afternoon.

Flooding along the rivers is still possible, but looks less likely.

Stay alert to changing weather conditions especially on streams and creeks as heavy downpours can cause water to rise very quickly.

Our team of meteorologists is keeping an eye on when and where the remnants will impact our area. Check back often with Severe Weather Team 11 for updates.

Sunday, Sept. 16, 5 a.m.

Florence weakens to a tropical depression

Saturday, Sept. 15, 6:05 p.m.

Tropical Storm Florence is still dumping huge amounts of rain along the coast of North and South Carolina.

The center of the storm is 60 miles west of Myrtle Beach and sustained winds are now 45 miles per hour. Movement is west at 2 mph.

Over the next few days, the winds will continue to weaken before the remnants take a turn to the north toward Pittsburgh. Rain will move into our area late Sunday and taper off by Tuesday afternoon.

Flooding along the rivers is still possible, as rain that falls in the Monongahela River basin will eventually make its way into the Ohio River.

The track of Florence is still uncertain, and our team of meteorologists is keeping an eye on when and where it could impact our area.  Check back often with Severe Weather Team 11 for updates.

Saturday, Sept. 15., 7:45 a.m.

Tropical storm Florence is still dumping very high amounts of rain along the coast of North and South Carolina.

The center of Tropic Storm Florence is 35 miles west of Myrtle Beach.

Sustained wind is now 50 miles per hour and movement is west southwest at 5 miles per hour.

Over the next few days, the winds will continue to weaken before the remnants take a turn to the north toward Pittsburgh. Rain will move into the area late Sunday and taper off by Tuesday afternoon.

Flooding along the rivers is still possible, as rain that falls in the Monongahela River basin will eventually make its way into the Ohio River.

The track of Florence is still uncertain, and our team of meteorologists is keeping an eye on when and where it could impact our area.  Check back often with Severe Weather Team 11 for updates.

Friday, Sept. 14., 5:25 p.m.

Florence has been downgraded to a tropical storm, yet continues to churn along the North Carolina/ South Carolina coast.

Winds of 70 mph around the storm continue to bring life-threatening rain and storm surge. The center of T.S. Florence is nearing Myrtle Beach.

Through the weekend, the winds with Florence will weaken before the remnants take a turn to the north toward Pittsburgh. Rain will move into the area late Sunday and continue through Tuesday.

The heaviest rain is still forecast to fall south of Pittsburgh, but flooding along the rivers is still possible as rain that falls in the Monongahela River basin will eventually make its way into the Ohio River.

The track of Florence is still uncertain, and our team of meteorologists is keeping an eye on when and where it could impact our area.  Check back often with Severe Weather Team 11 for updates.

Friday, Sept. 14., 4:50 p.m.

Florence has been downgraded to a tropical storm.

Friday, Sept. 14., 4:20 p.m.

Hurricane Florence continues to churn along the North Carolina/South Carolina coast, with winds of 75 mph.

Right now, the center of the storm is about 30 miles from Wilmington, North Carolina, and Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.

Life-threatening rain continues, with flooding throughout the area. Through the weekend, the winds with Florence will weaken, before the remnants take a turn to the north towards Pittsburgh.

Rain will move into the area late Sunday, and continue through Tuesday.

The heaviest rain is still forecast to fall south of the city of Pittsburgh, but flooding along the rivers is still possible as rain that falls in the Monongahela River basin will eventually make its way into the Ohio River.

The track of Florence is still uncertain, and our team of meteorologists is keeping an eye on when and where it could impact our area.  Check back often with Severe Weather Team 11 for updates.

Friday, Sept. 14, 12:30 p.m.

Hurricane Florence made landfall.

As of the 11:00 AM update the sustained winds are around 80 miles per hour with higher gusts at times. The movement is west southwest at approximately 3 miles per hour.

Very heavy, persistent rain and wind will create dangerous conditions. Many locations will receive 6 to 12 inches of rain, some places may get up to 24 inches or more of drenching rain leading to extensive flooding.

The remnants of Florence will move north through the weekend, pushing rain into the Pittsburgh area from Sunday night into Monday and Tuesday.

The heaviest rain is still forecast to fall south of the city of Pittsburgh, but flooding along the rivers is still possible as rain that falls in the Monongahela River basin will eventually make its way into the Ohio River.

Our team of meteorologists is tracking this tropical weather system and it's impacts on our area.  Check back often with Severe Weather Team 11 for updates.

Friday, Sept. 14, 8:30 a.m.

Hurricane Florence made landfall in North Carolina at 7:15 a.m. Friday.

As of an 8 a.m. update, Florence’s sustained winds are around 90 mph, with higher gusts at times. The movement is west at approximately 6 miles per hour.

Very heavy, persistent rain and wind will create dangerous conditions. Many locations will receive 6 to 12 inches of rain. Some places may get up to 24 inches or more of drenching rain leading to extensive flooding.

The remnants of Florence will move north through the weekend, pushing rain into the Pittsburgh area from Sunday night into Monday and Tuesday.

The heaviest rain is still forecast to fall south of the city of Pittsburgh, but flooding along the rivers is still possible as rain that falls in the Monongahela River basin will eventually make its way into the Ohio River.

Our team of meteorologists is tracking this tropical weather system and it's impacts on our area. Check back often with Severe Weather Team 11 for updates.

Thursday, Sept. 13, 11:15 p.m.

Pounding rain and storm surge from Hurricane Florence will continue to create life-threatening conditions across North and South Carolina through Friday.

After making landfall early Friday morning, Florence will slowly move west then southwest into South Carolina. As much as 24 inches or more of drenching rain will create flash flooding, and the winds from Florence could spawn tornadoes.

The remnants of Florence will make a turn north into the weekend, drawing rain into the Pittsburgh area by Monday. The heaviest rain is still forecast south of the city of Pittsburgh, but flooding along the rivers is still possible.

Our team of meteorologists is tracking Florence and it's impacts on our area-check back often with Severe Weather Team 11 for updates.

Thursday, Sept. 13, 2 p.m.

Hurricane Florence is still a powerful storm as hurricane-force winds extend outward 80 miles from the center.

The Category 2 storm has maximum sustained winds of 105 mph.

The storm surge is life-threatening along the coast of North Carolina at 9-13 feet. Heavy rainfall totals of 20-30 inches are expected, with isolated higher totals of 40 inches.

Tornadoes are also a threat within outer bands.

Showers should begin locally by Sunday night with the steadiest rain Monday.

Rain will continue Tuesday before pushing out Wednesday. Right now, potential local rain totals are one to two inches.

Thursday, Sept. 13, 12 p.m.

The remnants of Hurricane Florence will make their way to Pittsburgh by Monday.

Severe Weather Team 11 is working to nail down how much rain the Pittsburgh area will get, but at this time, amounts look less than what we experienced with Gordon.

The Category 2 hurricane will bring a foot to 2 feet of rain to the Carolinas into the weekend due to the slow-moving nature of the storm.

Life-threatening storm surges and rainfall are expected for parts of the Carolinas. Tornadoes along with hurricane-force winds are also likely through Thursday evening.

Thursday, Sept. 13, 4 a.m.

The Category 2 hurricane will bring 10 inches or more of rain to parts of the Carolinas into the weekend. The storm will weaken to a tropical depression over the weekend and eventually pull to the north, giving us a chance of rain Monday and Tuesday.

How much rain we see is yet to be determined, but much of the area could see an inch or so of rain Monday into Tuesday.

Wednesday, Sept. 12, 11 p.m.

The National Weather Service has downgraded Hurricane Florence to a Category 2 storm, meaning it's no longer a major hurricane.

Experts warn that it is still a life-threatening event, however, and could do immense amounts of damage.

Wednesday, Sept. 12, 5 p.m.

As of the 5 p.m. update from the National Hurricane Center, Hurricane Florence has maximum sustained winds of 120 mph. It’s 385 miles southeast of Wilmington, North Carolina.

The storm is expected to continue on a northwest track toward the North Carolina coast. Tropical Storm force winds should be felt along the Outer Banks as soon as early Thursday. Landfall is expected to be along the southern coast of North Carolina early Friday morning.

The storm will meander along the coasts of North and South Carolina into the weekend, bringing life-threatening storm surge and flooding rains. Hurricane-force winds will also affect the states through the weekend.

Wednesday, Sept. 12, 12 p.m.

Severe Weather Team 11 is tracking Florence as the storm looks to impact the Carolinas by the end of the week. Storm surge, hurricane-force winds and flooding rains are likely along the Carolinas.

The latest weather models have Florence meandering over the two states for days, which would mean little impact to our area for the weekend until the storm pulls north.

Right now, at best, a few showers will be around Monday through Wednesday of next week, but check back as the forecast is changing.

Wednesday, Sept. 12, 5 a.m.

Severe Weather Team 11 is tracking Hurricane Florence as the powerful storm makes its way toward the Carolina coastline. The storm should make landfall during the day Friday, with winds up to 130 mph along the coast.

Florence will slow down and meander through the Carolinas over the weekend before slowly turning northeast as a much weaker system still capable of producing heavy rain.

The Pittsburgh area could see some clouds from Florence over the weekend, with rainfall chances picking up by Monday and Tuesday. It is still too early to tell how much rain we would see in our area, but early indications are less than 2 inches for most of the region.

Tuesday, Sept. 11, 10 p.m.

Severe Weather Team 11 is tracking Hurricane Florence, with the current track bringing it into the North Carolina Coast sometime late Thursday into early Friday morning as a strong Category 3 storm.

The path after that is uncertain, with some forecasts slowing the system across the southeast as it dumps tremendous amounts of rain.

Any impacts from Florence in the Pittsburgh area would come first in the form of clouds, then possibly more rain later this weekend as the storm drifts north.

Tuesday, Sept. 11, 5 p.m.

At the 5 p.m. update from the National Hurricane Center, Hurricane Florence remains a powerful Category 4 storm. The maximum sustained winds have increased to 140 mph. The pressure has dropped to 945 mb.

The storm is expected to continue on a northwest track toward the Carolina coast through the end of the week. Landfall is expected to occur late Thursday night into Friday morning.

Storm surge, heavy rainfall and high wind gusts will accompany the storm.

At this point, Severe Weather Team 11 is expecting remnants will reach Pittsburgh on Sunday with steady rainfall throughout the day.

Cox Media Group