Storm Spreads More Rain and Floods in East

A storm that carried damaging tornadoes and torrential downpours from the Midwest throughout the week spread more rain in the East on Friday, as Virginia residents kept a watchful eye on the swollen James River.

The storm has unleashed nearly 6 inches of rain since Thursday in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia. The downpours, however, changed to showers by Friday afternoon, extending from New England and New York across the mid-Atlantic states and the central Appalachians.

High water continued to trouble much of central and western Virginia, but initial indications were that the flooding would not approach the levels that devastated the area in 1985. The National Guard, however, remained on alert.

Flooding in Richmond

Emergency officials passed out sand and bags in Richmond, where some low-lying streets had already flooded. The James River was 15 feet high in Richmond’s West End--3 feet above flood stage, with an expected crest of 25 feet by this morning.

In Washington, D.C., Potomac River levels were expected to reach 3 to 4 feet above normal, causing minor flooding along the banks in Georgetown and Alexandria, Va.

In the Midwest, a second-straight day of early morning fog interrupted air traffic in Chicago, where visibility was reduced to near zero before burning off by midmorning.