Tropical Storm Chantal, North Carolina
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On the heels of Tropical Depression Chantal, climatologists are warning that storms like it could become more common.
Chantal downgraded to a tropical depression over the weekend and was moving northeast through Virginia early morning Monday as flash flood threats continued near the storm, forecasters say. There have been no local impact in Louisiana.
Tropical Storm Chantal caused widespread flooding in Orange County dealing a blow to towns already squeezed by dwindling state and federal support.
Tropical cyclones typically drop large amounts of rain along and near the storm's path. The slower and more significant the storm’s size, the higher the likelihood of higher rainfall totals. Some storms can drop well over 30 inches of rainfall, like when Hurricane Harvey dropped over 60 inches near Nederland, Texas, in 2017.
The tropical depression is expected to intensify into a stronger rotating system to become Tropical Storm Chantal by Saturday, forecasters said.