As Hurricane Florence's floodwaters recede, some North Carolina rivers could rise another foot, and the full moon isn't helping
- Hurricane Florence floodwaters may be receding, but it's still causing rivers to rise in some areas of southeastern North Carolina.
- The Cape Fear River is expected to reach record levels on Monday - and may get even higher on Monday night, thanks to the full moon.
- The Black, Lumber, Neuse, and Trent rivers also continue to rise, flooding nine counties, according to officials.
- Parts of Interstates 95 and 40 remain closed.
Hurricane Florence's rains are gone, but its flooding remains.
The storm killed at least 43 people, and dropped feet of rain on parts of the Carolinas.
Over a week after the storm made landfall, as residents in North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia dig out from the destruction, much of the water still hasn't receded.
North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper warned of "treacherous" floodwaters over the weekend, cautioning residents to look for flood warnings and evacuation orders, the Associated Press reported Saturday.
"Hurricane Florence has deeply wounded our state, wounds that will not fade soon as the floodwaters finally recede," he said.
While three safe routes have been established in Wilmington, North Carolina, where Florence's floodwaters made the city largely inaccessible, some roads, homes, and businesses are still flooded - and nearby waterways are expected to surge despite flooding subsiding in some areas, The News & Observer reported.
The National Weather Service forecasts that the Cape Fear River will reach record levels and rise a foot by Monday afternoon - and Monday night's full moon may make matters even worse.
Steve Pfaff, a Wilmington-based meteorologist with the National Weather Service, told the The News & Observer that the slowly exiting floodwaters in eastern North Carolina will result in a "wave down the Cape Fear over the next few days."
But the Cape Fear River isn't the only troubled waterway - the Black, Lumber, Neuse, and Trent rivers continue to overflow, flooding nine counties in southeastern North Carolina, according to officials. The Neuse River reached 17.9 feet on Saturday, and the Lumber River is expected to hit 24 feet on Sunday.
The problem is expected to hit its worst point between Sunday and Tuesday, reports The News & Observer.
Officials warn against travel in areas with expected flooding. Cooper said parts of Interstates 95 and 40 will be underwater for at least another week.
One local told the The News & Observer that during the storm, waters rose higher than he'd ever seen in Wilmington. Some reports suggest Hurricane Florence was the worst flooding event in East Coast history.
South Carolina has also ordered evacuations as waters rise, the Associated Press reported Saturday.
Mayor Lawson Bitter told the AP that Nichols, South Carolina was completely inundated by water, with more than 150 homes destroyed from flooding. South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster estimated flood damage in South Carolina to be $1.2 billion.