Dangerous flood threat targets millions across Texas

HOUSTON — Days of storms will dump heavy rain over millions of people across parts of the South, Gulf Coast and Texas through Friday, bringing a mounting flood threat, particularly over Texas’ Big Bend and Hill Country regions, where storms are expected to repeatedly track over the same areas.

This also includes vulnerable areas along the Guadalupe River in Texas Hill Country that saw devastating flooding last July 4 that killed 135 people.

This week’s flood threat also comes on the heels of a deadly flash flooding along the Black River in southeastern Missouri that began on Friday and lasted into the weekend.

On Friday, a Flash Flood Emergency was issued across Iron and Reynolds counties in Missouri, with some places picking up between 9 and 12 inches of rain that morning. 

A summer storm pattern is setting up over Texas and the South this week as a cold front sags south and collides with warm, humid air from the Gulf, fueling days of soaking thunderstorms.

NOAA’s Weather Prediction Center (WPC) has issued a Level 2 out of 4 risk of flash flooding on Monday stretching from Western North Carolina to Texas’ Big Bend.

This includes parts of southeastern Virginia, East Tennessee, South Carolina, Georgia, central and southern Alabama, central and southern Mississippi, much of Louisiana, eastern Oklahoma and much of central and western Texas.

This also covers New Orleans, Houston, Austin, San Antonio and parts of the Dallas metroplex. 

“Through Tuesday, a broad swath stretching from the Gulf Coast into Central Texas can generally expect widespread totals of 1-3 inches of rain,” The FOX Forecast Center said.

On Tuesday itself, the flood threat shifts primarily to the Texas Plains, including Austin and San Antonio, with storms lingering across the Southeast, including Atlanta, Birmingham, Mobile and New Orleans.

Dangerous mid-week flood threat for Texas Plains

By the middle of the week, storms are poised to dump between 5 and 8 inches of rain across West and Southwest Texas, including Hill Country.

Currently, a Level 3 flash flood risk covers parts of the Big Bend west and north of San Antonio.

“Flood watches will more than likely be needed at some point,” the FOX Forecast Center said.

“The massive heat dome locked over the northern half of the country is forcing a weak storm system to sneak underneath it, moving from east to west straight into the southern Plains by the middle of the week.”

Those headed to Big Bend National Park this week should closely monitor the forecast and local advisories.