When will the rain end? Flood threat continues across central North Carolina

RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) -- Multiple rounds of showers and thunderstorms are expected through Friday, bringing a continued risk of flooding across central North Carolina.

On Thursday, some could see 2 to 4 inches of rain in our viewing area, with isolated spots picking up more than 5 inches. The heaviest downpours may cause flash flooding, especially in low-lying and flood-prone areas.

High temperatures will stay in the 70s and 80s, but the main concern is heavy rain and flooding.

The wet pattern is being fueled in part by Tropical Storm Bertha, which is moving along the Louisiana and upper Texas coasts. As of Thursday morning, Bertha had maximum sustained winds of 45 mph and is expected to remain a tropical storm until it reaches the upper Texas coast later.

While the center of the storm is far from North Carolina, Bertha is helping funnel deep tropical moisture into the Carolinas, increasing the potential for heavy rainfall.

Possible storm impacts

According to the Duke Energy power outage map, nearly 2,500 customers are without power in East Durham. The outage was first identified around 6:15 a.m. Thursday morning and its cause is not known at this time.

Looking ahead

By Saturday, the front is expected to stall closer to the coast, which should reduce storm coverage for many areas. However, scattered storms will remain possible, especially across southern and eastern North Carolina, and any storm could still produce torrential rainfall.

Drier weather is expected to move in late Saturday into Saturday night.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.