An area of nearly stationary heavy showers and thunderstorms dumped torrential rainfall for several hours Friday over parts of the Charlotte area, sending creeks out of their banks, flooding roads, and contributing to at least one death.

A woman drowned in a creek along the Charlotte-Matthews line Friday afternoon, Charlotte fire officials said. Rescue crews were looking Friday evening for the woman's daughter, who reportedly was last seen near the creek.

Police say the women had been caught shoplifting minutes earlier at a clothing store and ran toward the flooded creek in an attempt to escape.

No other injuries or deaths were reported in the flooding, but the heavy rain -- nearly 7 inches at some locations in northwest Charlotte -- caused plenty of trouble.

Flooding closed a portion of southbound Interstate 85 and dozens of intersections in Mecklenburg and Gaston counties. Swift water rescue teams waded through waist-deep water to get 30 trapped people out of a northwest Charlotte apartment complex, and firefighters in Mount Holly braved neck-high water to rescue about 10 people trying to avoid floodwaters in the Gaston County town's central business district.

By early Friday evening, the heaviest rain had moved south of Charlotte, but forecasters at the National Weather Service said the Charlotte area will remain under the threat of more downpours for the next 24 hours. Several weak low pressure systems are expected to move across the Carolinas late Friday and Saturday, before clearing and a return to hot weather arrives Sunday.

Residents of at least two apartment complexes in Charlotte were forced to leave their residences because of high water. At the University Garden Apartments, in the 1100 block of Southwest Boulevard, firefighters used boats and waded through waist-high water after Stewart Creek spilled over its banks.

Authorities said about 20 residents reported being trapped when water crept to the first level of the apartment building.

The American Red Cross opened a shelter Friday evening at Northwest School of the Arts, 1415 Beatties Ford Road, to house people displaced from the University Garden Apartments.

Evacuations also were needed at apartments on Andrill Terrace, off Oaklawn Avenue near Interstate 77 in northwest Charlotte.

At the Embassy Suites in the 4800 block of South Tryon Street, a drain pipe that carries water from the roof burst about 12:30 p.m. That sent water streaming into the hotel lobby, but the hotel remained in operation.

Sharon Foote, of Charlotte-Mecklenburg Waste Water Services, cautioned people to stay away from creeks and streams, many of which spilled over their banks. McAlpine Greenway Park was closed by county officials because of flooding.

Automated gages showed the worst flooding was on Little Sugar Creek at Carolinas Medical Center, and on Stewart Creek at Morehead Street. Little Sugar Creek reached major flood stage of 14 feet at 3 p.m., compared to its normal level of 2 feet. Some flooding was reported along the creek, along the Park Road corridor.

Police closed East Boulevard near Freedom Park about 4 p.m. because of high water on the creek.

Stewart Creek reached 18.6 feet, also major flood stage, about 2 p.m. That water was responsible for the flooding at the apartments on Southwest Boulevard.

Minor flooding was reported on McAlpine, Briar, Back, Mallard and Irwin creeks.

The heaviest rainfall report came from a gage at the Vest Water Treatment plant on Brookshire Boulevard, where 6.82 inches was reported. A gage at Ida Rankin Elementary School in Gaston County measured 6.65 inches of rain. And 6.54 inches fell on Starita Road at Irwin Creek.

Charlotte fire Capt. Rob Brisley said flash flooding took place at several spots across the Charlotte area. One of those is at Rozzelles Ferry Road and Brookshire Boulevard, where Brisley said a vehicle was trapped by high water. Crews worked to rescue a motorist trapped in that vehicle.

Rescues of people in vehicles in high water also were reported in the 1100 block of Metropolitan Avenue, and on Freedom Drive at Woodruff Place in west Charlotte.

Standing water forced southbound Interstate 85 to be closed at Statesville Road for several hours.

At one point, around midday Friday, about three dozen streets in Charlotte were closed by flooding. Road closures also were reported in Matthews, Mint Hill, western Union County, and in Gaston and Lincoln counties.

The heavy rain fell in a corridor stretching from Shelby across Gastonia, Lincolnton, Charlotte and Monroe, and then across the state line into Chesterfield County, S.C.

Charlotte/Douglas International Airport issued a ground-stop shortly after noon. That prevented all takeoffs and landings, but some flight activity resumed about an hour later.

The area of rain formed along a weak front that moved southward into the area overnight, Harry Gerapetritis, of the National Weather Service office in Greer, S.C., said winds to the north of the line were from the east and northeast, while winds below the line were from the south. That wind shift, added to the high humidity and instability in the atmosphere, created the precipitation.

"There isn't much of a steering flow, so the area of showers and thunderstorms hasn't been moving much," Gerapetritis said.

The overall pattern today and Saturday will produce more showers and thunderstorms, forecasters say. Humidity levels will be very high, but the good news is that temperatures today will be far short of the upper 90s in recent days. In fact, the streak of 18 consecutive days of 90 degrees or hotter could come to an end today in Charlotte.