Post-Tropical Cyclone Bill Moving East; Flood Watches from Ohio Valley to East Coast

June 20, 2015

Highlights

• As of 4 p.m. CDT Saturday, the remnant of Tropical Depression Bill was centered about 65 miles northwest of Jackson, Kentucky. The circulation is moving east-northeast at 14 mph, according to NOAA's Weather Prediction Center.
• Bill transitioned into a post-tropical cyclone on Saturday afternoon after spending more than three days over land.
• Amazingly, the central pressure dropped 4 millibars to 1002 millibars (29.59 inches) beween 10 a.m. and 10 p.m. Friday, according to the WPC. The lower pressure indicated that Bill strengthened slightly despite being hundreds of miles inland and having made landfall more than 48 hours earlier.
• Locally heavy rain is expected to spread into the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast by Sunday.
• At least five reported tornadoes were associated with Bill Friday, all in southern Illinois.
• Peak rainfall totals through 10 a.m. CDT Saturday included 13.28 inches near El Campo, Texas; 12.53 inches near Healdton, Oklahoma; and 11.77 inches near Ganado, Texas. Rainfall totals over 8 inches were also reported near Plainville, Indiana (8.8 inches), near Fults, Illinois (8.26 inches) and near Fordland, Missouri (8.25 inches).
• The Washita River at Dickson, Oklahoma, crested at a new record level of 48.7 feet early Friday morning, breaking the record set in 1987 by a margin of more than 3 feet. Record flooding was also reported on West Mustang Creek near Ganado, Texas, and on the Lavaca River near Edna, Texas.
• The James River near Springfield, Missouri, rose to a new record level of 22.2 feet on Friday afternoon; the previous record of 22 feet was set in 1909.

Flood Alerts

Current Radar with Watches and Warnings

Rainfall Forecast

Rainfall Totals So Far

Bill's History

As Bill continues to move east, more locally heavy rain is expected to result in flash flooding and renewed or aggravated river flooding.
Flood watches are posted along Bill's future path from the upper Ohio Valley into the Mid-Atlantic and parts of the Northeast.
(MORE: Latest News on Bill)
Locally heavy rain can be expected both near the core of the system – mainly to the north and northeast of Bill's center – and in narrower rain bands well to the south and southeast of the circulation center.
(MORE: 6 Incredible U.S. Rainfall Records)
Bill's moisture will get drawn east into the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast, leading to a threat of locally heavy rain and flooding.
This includes parts of Maryland, Virginia, the District of Columbia, Delaware, southern Pennsylvania, and New Jersey by early Sunday.
As a result, flood watches have been hoisted for several major East Coast cities including New York City, Philadelphia, Baltimore and Washington, D.C.
In addition to the rainfall threat, rain bands east of Bill's center will continue to bring the threat of brief spin-up tornadoes into Saturday night from the central Appalachians into the Mid-Atlantic states.
At least five such tornadoes were reported Friday in southern Illinois. The first brief tornado damaged trees and a camper in Lawrence County, Illinois, just across the river from Vincennes, Indiana. Later, another brief tornado touched down near Olney, Illinois, damaging a retail store. A third reported tornado may be to blame for damage to a house near West Frankfort, Illinois. The home, a two-story brick structure on a large lot, lost most of its roof according to photos tweeted by Nick Hausen of WSIL-TV.
Bill finally lost tropical characteristics Saturday afternoon over eastern Kentucky, but the remnant low should survive all the way to the East Coast.

Tropical Storm Bill's Landfall

Tropical Storm Bill made landfall on Matagorda Island, Texas, at 11:45 a.m. CDT Tuesday. Bill was then downgraded to a tropical depression at 1 a.m. CDT Wednesday.
The peak storm surge from Bill occurred Tuesday morning and early Tuesday afternoon, coinciding with an early morning high tide along the Upper Texas and southwest Louisiana coasts.
(MORE: Expert Analysis)
At least a foot of water covered areas along FM 2031 south of Matagorda. Highway 87 was closed early Tuesday morning from Gilchrist to highway 124 on the east edge of the Bolivar Peninsula due to debris on the road. Galveston County emergency management reported yards were flooded in parts of Hitchcock and Bayou Vista, across the bay from Galveston Island. The water level at Port Lavaca, Texas, was more than three feet above normal early Tuesday afternoon.
Tropical storm-force winds were reported near the Texas coast on Tuesday morning. Port O'Connor, Texas, clocked sustained winds of 44 mph and a gust to 54 mph.
Stronger winds were reported on oil rigs off the Texas coast Tuesday morning. One elevated rig just east of Port O'Connor measured a 66 mph gust at 9:10 a.m. CDT Tuesday.

Another burst of high winds developed several hours after landfall in an area just east and southeast of Bill's center. This included a gust to 58 mph in Palacios, Texas, at 6:20 p.m. CDT.
Bill became the second landfall in the U.S. in the 2015 Atlantic hurricane season.
According to a preliminary check of mainland U.S. tropical storm and hurricane landfall data from NOAA's Hurricane Research Division, senior meteorologist Stu Ostro found the last time the U.S. had a pair of tropical storm or stronger landfalls this early in the season was 1871.
Bill also became the fourth mainland U.S. landfall of at least tropical storm intensity since the start of the 2013 hurricane season. This is yet more proof that landfalls can and do occur even in somewhat "quieter" hurricane seasons.

Check back with us at weather.com and The Weather Channel for updates on this system.
Senior meteorologist Nick Wiltgen and meteorologists Jonathan Erdman and Chris Dolce contributed to this report.

PHOTOS: Tropical Storm Bill