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(CNN) – More than 30 million people from the coast of North Carolina to central New York may be affected by the floods on Wednesday.
Many vigils and quick flood warnings are in effect throughout the Atlantic after the accumulation of record rainfall in recent weeks.
"To repeat earlier today, it's a potentially dangerous or even deadly situation," the National Weather Service tweeted Tuesday morning.
CNN meteorologist Dave Hennen said that oncoming storms have "trained" or aligned, so when one ahead, another arrives just behind and one area becomes tormented by water.
In most cases, this leads to atmospheric rivers, a long area of water vapor in the sky that materializes as rain or snow. More rain poses a serious threat to the region, putting it at risk for flash floods, the most severe type. Flash floods fill the water masses extremely quickly in an unpredictable way.
The soil is already saturated with the last 48 hours of rain, so this extra precipitation could cause dangerous flooding, said CNN meteorologist Michael Guy.
Washington has received 8.2 inches of rain since the beginning of July, while the normal amount for this period is 2.8 inches, said Dennen. The rain fell for eight days, the district having received no rain until July 17th.
Cities in central Pennsylvania constituted 10 of the 15 wettest zones within 24 hours from Monday to Tuesday, with some climbing up to 8 inches, according to the Weather Service.
In Pennsylvania, as well as in most parts of Maryland, and in parts of the coasts of Virginia and North Carolina, there is a moderate chance (20-50%) of precipitation above forecast.
During the last three days, 4 to 10 inches of rain fell in the area. Two to three inches are expected in the area until Friday evening. The already saturated soil makes it difficult to absorb additional water.
The weather service advises people in the area to access higher ground, if possible, avoid driving in the waters (12 inches of rain can sweep a car) and monitor the media for the bets up to date.
A cold front will cross the eastern United States, drying out the area on Thursday, Guy said.
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