While sunshine and the typical hot weather of late July will continue to punctuate showers and thunderstorms across parts of the southeastern and south-central United States, areas from coastal Texas to Louisiana and the Carolinas are likely to be the wettest Area AccuWeather meteorologists say flash flooding is most likely to occur.
AccuWeather meteorologist Brandon Buckingham explained that major moisture from the Gulf of Mexico will flow toward parts of southeast Texas and Louisiana by Friday, and could even continue into the weekend.
“This area from the Texas coast to western Louisiana will receive 1-4 inches of rainfall from Tuesday through Saturday, with localized amounts of 4-8 inches, AccuWeather Local StormMax™ rainfall amounts,” Buckingham said. For 15 inches, event.
Due to early rainfall this summer, including from Beryl, much of the region has not been plunged into drought, which could run off quickly, causing flash flooding.
“Some drains may still be clogged with debris left behind by beryl, particularly in the Houston area,” Buckingham said.
Some of that rain will fall within hours and could overwhelm storm drains, causing flooding on streets and highways in cities including Brownsville, Corpus Christi, Victoria, Houston and Port Arthur, Texas.
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Driving through flooded roads can be dangerous. The water may still be rising rapidly, it may be strong enough to sweep your vehicle away, the water may be deeper than it looks, or the road may have been washed away.
At least a few downpours will reach farther inland into Texas, reaching part of the Interstate 35 corridor, which may bring more benefits than problems.
“This forecast brings some good news for residents, agricultural interests and watershed management in drought-stricken Central Texas, as weather patterns will be conducive to daily showers and thunderstorms, which can provide temporary relief from hot weather and help prevent There is a drought in the area.
The San Antonio and Austin metro areas and Laredo, Texas should see at least some heavy downpours.
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Farther north and east, a more concentrated corridor of heavy rain will develop over northern Alabama, Mississippi, southeastern Arkansas, and southern Tennessee, but a more intense area will develop over the Carolinas by the end of the week.
Much of the central and eastern Carolinas are expected to receive 1-4 inches of rain through Friday, with locally higher amounts. If downpours continue for more than a few minutes, there will be an increased risk of street flooding and creek flooding. Some cities at risk for flash flooding include Charlotte and Raleigh, North Carolina, and Columbia and Charleston, South Carolina.
Outside of these two main heavy rainfall areas, shower and thunderstorm activity will occur daily over the weekend. With unusually dry and even drought conditions underway across large swathes of the Southeast, any rainfall will benefit groundwater, creeks and reservoirs.
Any downpours in the Southeast will disrupt outdoor plans and bring a high risk of localized flash flooding. Highly locally damaging wind gusts are also possible when thunderstorms pulse in the afternoon heat. Where pulsating storms occur near airports such as Atlanta, Houston or Charlotte, it could bring a new round of delays and possible flight cancellations while airlines are still recovering from recent computer software problems.
Any thunderstorm, no matter how weak it appears, always carries the risk of an inadvertent lightning strike. As a result, experts urge people to get off the beach, golf course or sports range and move indoors at the first crack of thunder.
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