The Nation : Heavy Rain Pounds Mid-Atlantic States

Heavy rain drenched parts of the mid-Atlantic states, flooding streams and low-lying areas, and a tornado was reported in Durham, N.C. Storms were widespread from North Carolina to New York, dumping five inches of rain at Madison, Va., 4.25 inches at Kinsale, Va., and 3.80 at Whalleysville, Md. Officials evacuated 18 to 20 residents of one apartment complex in Chapel Hill, N.C., when water overflowed the banks of a nearby creek. In Granville County, N.C., secondary roads washed out after an estimated 3.5 inches of rain fell in six hours. In Durham, strong wind gusts up to 50 m.p.h. downed power lines and uprooted several trees, but there were no reports of injuries. A police officer reported seeing a funnel cloud touch down and a section of a concrete storage building was destroyed, officials said. But the National Weather Service said it could not confirm that a tornado had hit the area.