REMNANTS of Allison sweep through North Carolina; upgraded storm possible

<br>The remnants of Tropical Storm Allison dumped rain on North Carolina on Thursday, but the heavy storm that whipped through the region earlier this week had largely dissipated. <br><br>The region escaped

Thursday, June 14th 2001, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

The remnants of Tropical Storm Allison dumped rain on North Carolina on Thursday, but the heavy storm that whipped through the region earlier this week had largely dissipated.

The region escaped most of the destruction the system caused along the Gulf Coast, but forecasters at the National Weather Service in Miami said Thursday that the remnants of Allison could still regenerate into a tropical cyclone.

``Don't expect it to die out,'' said forecaster Joel Cline from Raleigh. ``I expect it to move out over the Atlantic and make national headlines again.''

The weather service advised coastal residents as far north as Delaware to monitor the system.

Flash flood warnings were posted Thursday for eastern North Carolina, where forecasters were predicting as much as 6 inches of rain in some areas.

Rain fell fast, about 2 inches in less than an hour Wednesday, and power outages affected more than 6,000 homes in the area around Salisbury, about 40 miles north of Charlotte.

``It sounded like the hurricane was here,'' said Michelle Farmer, who was at a church supper.

Allison, the Atlantic's first tropical storm of 2001, is blamed for killing 22 people in Texas and Louisiana last week as it stalled after coming ashore, dumping nearly 3 feet of rain on some areas. Nine people died in Florida, including five who drowned in choppy water stirred up off the Florida Panhandle.

On Wednesday, Georgia Gov. Roy Barnes declared a state of emergency for 14 eastern Georgia counties left awash in 8 inches of rain that fell Tuesday.

The storm system also brought heavy rain Tuesday and Wednesday to South Carolina, but not enough to end a statewide drought. The thirsty ground soaked up much of the rain, and forecasters said they expected rivers to stay below flood stage.

South Carolina's Midlands, where as much as 5 inches of rain was reported, is still about 6 inches short of normal for the year, National Weather Service meteorologist Jim Kilmer said.

In the northern part of the state, stormy weather downed trees and power lines and closed some roads late Wednesday. More than 6,000 customers were without power Wednesday night in Anderson, Abbeville and Oconee counties.

At least three roofs came off, and one wrapped itself around a telephone pole at the Anderson County Fairgrounds, said Jack Barfield, assistant director of the Fairgrounds.