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The National Weather Service issued flood warnings across the region Wednesday as rain swelled creeks in counties surrounding Charlotte. Rain was most intense north and west of Charlotte, across the foothills and Western Piedmont. The heaviest rain, up to a quarter inch per hour, fell along a line including Rutherfordton, Hickory and Taylorsville.A flood warning means that flooding is imminent or has been reported. Most flood fatalities happen when motorists drive onto flooded streets or streams and when children play in or near storm drains or streams, forecasters said.
In Cabarrus County, Pharr Mill Road Park remained closed Wednesday due to Rocky River flooding. The river, which runs through the park, rose from its banks and flooded parts of the park outside Harrisburg.
At Frank Liske Park in Concord, trails and some playgrounds were also closed due to flooding.
Roads in northern Union County were covered by puddles after hours of heavy rain Tuesday night. In at least one area, floodwaters from a low-lying field had spilled into one lane of a busy commuter road.
Flooding on rural roads, including Lawyers Road and N.C. 218, posed a threat to commuters. On Secrest Short Cut Road near the Indian Trail-Monroe border, floodwaters had spilled into the eastbound lane from a nearby field. That lane was completely submerged for about a 20-foot stretch.