Remnants of Tropical Storm Lee threatens East with flooding

The remnants of Tropical Storm Lee threatened flooding from the Tennessee Valley to New England on Tuesday, while people in the storm’s wake continued to face power outages and blocked roads.

The National Weather Service issued flood and flash-flood watches and warnings from the Southern U.S. through the Appalachian Mountains and into the Northeast.

Heavy rains will continue through Thursday, with 4 to 8 inches expected, though some areas could get as much as 10 inches.

“These rains may cause life-threatening flash floods and mudslides,” the weather service said.

Chattanooga, Tenn., was experiencing some flash flooding and power outages, with nearly 10 inches of rain soaking the city since early Monday.

Officials in Alabama’s coastal areas said the weekend’s rough water kicked up new tar balls onto beaches. Jeff Collier, mayor of Dauphin Island, said the barrier island’s beaches were experiencing an increase in the amount of oil-related debris washing ashore.

About 108,000 power outages remained in Alabama on Tuesday evening, with 101,000 of them in the Birmingham metro area, according to the Alabama Power utility company.

Meanwhile, Hurricane Katia weakened over the Atlantic Ocean to a Category 2 storm, with sustained winds up to 105 mph. Forecast maps show Katia veering northeast away from the U.S. mainland this week.

But the National Hurricane Center said large swells could affect the East Coast, Bermuda, the Greater Antilles and parts of the Bahamas.