Dangerous Flash Flooding in US
Ongoing Dangerous Flooding in Texas, Louisiana, and Mississippi
Severe flooding is happening in some parts of Texas, Louisiana, and Mississippi on Wednesday due to heavy storms in the South.
Since Monday, more rain than usual for a whole month has fallen in several Texas and Louisiana cities. Some Texas cities have even received almost twice the average amount of rain for January.
By Wednesday morning, the College Station area in Texas had nearly 6 inches of rain since Monday. Usually, this city gets around 3 inches of rain in January. West of Houston, in Industry and Fayetteville, Texas, over 10 inches of rain fell this week.
This heavy rain is part of a multi-day flood threat that started on Monday and is at its strongest on Wednesday.
The National Weather Service warned about “life-threatening flash flooding” east of San Antonio on Wednesday morning. Between 5 and 7 inches of rain fell in this area since Tuesday, and more rain is expected.
From eastern Texas to Louisiana and southern Arkansas, a larger area got 2 to 4 inches of rain since Tuesday.
The biggest concern for flash flooding is over parts of Louisiana and Mississippi on Wednesday night. These areas have a Level 3 out of 4 risk for excessive rainfall.
New Orleans is under this higher risk level, expecting the heaviest rain through Wednesday evening.
The flood threat is caused by moisture moving north from the Gulf of Mexico across the South.
Throughout the week, much of the South is likely to get widespread rainfall totals of 4 to 6 inches. Areas closer to the Gulf of Mexico could have even higher amounts due to heavy rain and a few thunderstorms.
Parts of eastern Texas, Louisiana, and Mississippi might end the week with close to a foot of rainfall.
This kind of rainfall can easily cause flash flooding, especially in areas of Louisiana and Mississippi facing drought. The ground is dry and hard, making it harder for water to soak in.
Drought conditions cover more than 80% of Mississippi and more than 90% of Louisiana. Over 10% of both states are in exceptional drought, the most severe level on the US Drought Monitor scale.
While the rain will become less intense after Wednesday, steady rounds of rain will continue for the whole week in parts of the South.
From Thursday to Saturday, rain will expand across a large area, bringing wet weather to much of the East.
During this time, around 1 to 2 inches of rain is possible from the central Appalachians through New England.
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