Severe Weather Headed Back to Texas, Louisiana

By Kristina Pydynowski, Senior Meteorologist

January 6,2013; 12:45PM,EST

Widespread severe weather has been absent from the United States since around Christmastime, but that will change at midweek with flooding rain also a significant concern.

The stage is set for violent thunderstorms to return to southern and eastern Texas and Louisiana Tuesday night through Wednesday, threatening some of the same communities where Christmas was ruined by severe weather.

Heavy rain will soak a much larger area, potentially triggering flash flooding.

The severe weather is expected to commence Tuesday night in Texas, likely along the southern coast from Victoria to Corpus Christi to Brownsville.
A line of violent thunderstorms will then press eastward on Wednesday, racing through southeastern Texas and into western Louisiana.
Wednesday's threat zone includes Austin, Victoria, College Station, Houston, Tyler and Beaumont in Texas as well as Lake Charles, La.

A tornado on Christmas caused this damage in Penninton, Texas. Picture courtesy of Twitter user @LovellRoss.

"Large hail could be a big issue with the amount of cold air aloft, along with damaging wind gusts and a couple of tornadoes," stated AccuWeather.com Meteorologist Brian Edwards when he first warned of the impending severe weather danger on Saturday.

Flooding and blinding downpours are another serious concern and not just for those areas at risk for the violent thunderstorms.

The same storm set to ignite the severe weather will also become a significant soaker, unleashing more than 3 inches of rain over a large area Tuesday into Wednesday night.

The latest indications place the bullseye for this heavy rain over much of eastern Texas, including Dallas, Tyler and Houston, with at least two inches of rain expected for central Texas and neighboring parts of Oklahoma, Arkansas and Louisiana.

That amount of rain would definitely put a significant dent in the region's ongoing drought, but could trigger flash flooding in low-lying and poor-drainage areas. Streams and small rivers would easily turn into raging waterways.
Remember to avoid flooded roads even if the water appears calm. The road underneath may be washed away or the water current could be stronger than what you think.
It only takes six inches of fast-moving flood waters to knock over an adult and two feet of rushing water to sweep away most vehicles, including pickups and SUVs, according to NOAA.
All residents in the nation's southern midsection should continue to check back with AccuWeather.com in the upcoming days as we fine tune the timing of the severe weather and the placement of where the heaviest rain will fall.