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Tropical Depression Bonnie Heads Towards Carolinas as Deadly Flooding Overwhelms Texas

The storm is forecast to bring up to three inches of rain to the Carolinas. In Texas, flooding caused by rains there claimed four lives.
Image: NOAA CLOUDS
This NOAA satellite image taken Saturday, May 28, 2016 at 9:45 AMshows Tropical Depression Two continuing to move northwest towards the North and South Carolina coastline as it is expected to slightly strengthen into a weak tropical storm before making landfall. Elsewhere, a weak frontal boundary is draped across northern portions of New England, with thunderstorms beginning to develop across New York and Pennsylvania. A broad amount of cloud cover is also observed over the Midwestern United States with a north-south oriented frontal boundary.AP

Tropical storm Bonnie was downgraded Sunday morning as it headed toward the South Carolina coast — the latest bad weather to hit the nation over the long holiday weekend, after a fourth person was found dead amid flooding in Texas.

The tropical depression was about 25 miles east-southeast of Charleston and packing maximum sustained winds of 35 mph as of 8 a.m. Sunday, the National Hurricane Center said. It was forecast to drench the Carolinas with up to six of rain, which had started falling on the South Carolina coast Saturday.

Whipping winds and dangerous waves as high as 13 feet could also hit the two states, as well as Georgia and Florida over the coming days, forecasters said.

Charleston police warned drivers to be wary of downed trees and power lines, and to not drive through flooded areas. A little more than 1 1/2 inches of rain was recorded at Charleston Air Force Base by Saturday evening, according to the National Weather Service.

Bonnie was declared a tropical storm on Saturday evening after forecasters detected winds at 40 mph, making it the season's second-named tropical storm — four days before the official start of the Atlantic hurricane season. A depression becomes a tropical storm when winds reach 39 mph.

Flooding is seen in Tomball, Texas, in this photo captured by a drone Saturday morning.
Flooding is seen in Tomball, Texas, in this photo captured by a drone Saturday morning.Mark Preidger

Elsewhere in the nation, flooding and heavy rain were wreaking havoc. In Texas, at least four people were killed, and the state was bracing for more rain through Memorial Day.

Lela Holland, 64, died in her home when floods washed through, according to the Washington County Sheriff’s office. Jimmy Wayne Schaeffer, 49, was killed when he drove his truck into high water, a statement from the office said.

The body of Darren Mitchell, 21, a National Guardsman, was recovered Saturday after his vehicle was swept off the road by floods, the statement said. And Pyarali Rajebhi Umatiya, 59, was killed when his vehicle stalled in high water, according to the statement.

Meanwhile, police were set to resume the search on Sunday morning for a 10-year-old boy who fell into the Brazos River while fishing Saturday, NBC Dallas-Forth Worth reported.

Related: Two Dead in Texas As Plains Gear Up for More Bad Weather

Washington County, a rural area between Austin and Houston, saw nearly two feet of rain in a span of just a few hours Friday, according to officials.

Several bridges were damaged, 58 roads were still closed Saturday and 2,000 residents remained without electricity, the sheriff’s office said.

Meanwhile, Travis County officials were searching for two residents who were swept away by the raging waters. Multiple people were rescued from rooftops by helicopters, Travis County Emergency Services tweeted Friday.

In Kansas, an 11-year-old boy fell into the fast-moving Gypsum Creek in Wichita and was swept away as friends tried to grab him, NBC affiliate KSNW reported. The creek was swollen by recent rains. On Saturday, fire officials said the search was now a recovery operation, but Wichita Fire Department Battalion Chief Scott Brown told the station the search would continue. "We'll go until we can't go any more," he said.

Image:
A man, foreground, checks to make sure everyone made it safely out of a truck that flooded when the three men in the background drove around a closed road barrier and lost control of the vehicle in rising flood water on May 27, 2016, in Magnolia, Texas.Michael Ciaglo / AP

In Tyler County, Texas, a mandatory evacuation was in place for the 30 to 40 homes in the Barlow Lake Estates subdivision, where rising crests could likely force the Corps of Engineers to release water from a local dam in the coming days, said county emergency management officials.

The resulting downstream flooding could be of historic proportions, county officials posted on Facebook.

The city of Rosenberg, Texas, southwest of Houston, declared a state of disaster Saturday night and ordered mandatory evacuations in parts of town due to the swelling Brazos River, which is expected to crest at 53 feet Tuesday.

In Missouri, Gov. Jay Nixon declared a state of emergency ahead of expected heavy rains Saturday, and warned that levees could be breached.

Related: Two Dead in Texas As Plains Gear Up for More Bad Weather

“Areas along the Missouri River and its tributaries in west-central Missouri are of particular concern because more rain could cause some levees to overtop,” Nixon said in a statement issued Friday night.

Since Tuesday, storms in the state have caused high winds, heavy rains and flash flooding — with more rain predicted into the weekend.

"State emergency management personnel will continue to work with local officials and law enforcement to assess and closely monitor the risk to the levees, and take appropriate action if needed,” Nixon said.

The torrential downpour was part of severe weather that pummeled the nation's midsection Thursday night, with tornadoes reported in Kansas and Texas.