WeatherFanatics: Record Cool Wave in South to Ignite Flooding Downpours

Friday, July 11, 2014

Record Cool Wave in South to Ignite Flooding Downpours

By Alex Sosnowski, Expert Senior Meteorologist

July 11,2014; 9:00PM,EDT

Parts of the South will get major relief from heat, humidity and storms next week while other locations will be at greater risk for flash flooding.
A piece of the polar vortex, albeit summer version, will drop into the Midwest next week. As it does, a push of cooler, less humid air will bulge southward, reaching portions of the northern Plains, Mississippi Valley and Appalachians.

According to AccuWeather Meteorologist Mark Mancuso, "The cool air will push unusually far south for the middle of July and can bring record lows to portions of the interior."
The cities of Little Rock, Ark.; Memphis, Tennessee; Tupelo, Mississippi; Huntsville, Alabama; Charlotte, North Carolina; and Atlanta may have temperatures dip to record territory.
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"Temperatures can drop into the upper 50s in some of these cities, where average lows for this time of the year range from the upper 60s to lower 70s," Mancuso said.
The leading edge of the cool air, known as a front, will stall over portions of Texas to the central Gulf Coast and the southeastern corner of the United States during the middle and latter part of next week.

The front will be a focusing point for rounds of drenching showers and thunderstorms.
"The greatest risk for repeating rainfall and flash flooding will occur in parts of Texas, Florida, the coastal Carolinas and southeastern Georgia," Mancuso said.
Rainfall along portions of the southern Atlantic Seaboard can approach 6 inches over a several-day stretch with locally higher amounts possible. In a few locations, enough rain can fall to cause serious flash and urban flooding.
Cities in the southeastern corner of the U.S. that are at greatest risk for flash flooding in the upcoming pattern include Norfolk, Virginia; Wilmington, North Carolina; Charleston, South Carolina; Savannah, Georgia; and Jacksonville, Florida.
Episodes of heavy rain over portions of Texas, the southern High Plains and Rockies is much needed in parts of the region remain in excessive drought.
Some cities in the region that can be hit with heavy rainfall on one or more occasions include Dallas and Amarillo, Texas; Oklahoma City; Roswell, New Mexico; and Pueblo, Colorado.

However, the rain may fall too hard and too fast for the ground to absorb, which can lead to dangerous flash flooding. Some streams that have been dry for months may turn into raging torrents in a matter of minutes.

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