Heavy rain to return risk of flash flooding from Texas to Alabama

By Alex Sosnowski, AccuWeather.com Senior Meteorologist

March 30,2016; 10:28PM,EDT

 

 

A storm targeting the Rockies with heavy snow into midweek will produce heavy rainfall and the risk of flooding over part of the south-central United States on Wednesday and Thursday.
Showers and thunderstorms will erupt from the northwestern Gulf Coast to the Mississippi Valley on Wednesday.
Motorists venturing along interstates 10, 20 and 40 should be prepared for slow travel. Episodes of heavy rain may not only cause excessive water on the road but will also lead to poor visibility.
"The storms will be rather slow-moving and will have the ability to produce several inches of rain in a short amount of time," according to AccuWeather Meteorologist Andrew Mussoline.
The ground remains damp to saturated from parts of northeastern Texas to Alabama due to prior rainfall.
"The new, heavy rain falling on saturated ground can lead to renewed low-lying and poor-drainage area flooding with the potential for small streams to spill over their banks," Mussoline said.

Torrential rainfall earlier in March ranged from 6-24 inches across much of the region and resulted in flooding along streams and many rivers.
In Louisiana, residents are in the process of cleaning up their property. More than 6,000 structures sustained flood damage across the state during flooding around the middle of the month. Multiple disaster recovery centers are still open for those who need assistance.
Destructive flooding also ensued across eastern Texas. In Deweyville, about 115 miles east of Houston, 600 students won't return to school until April 11, a month after flooding initially closed both the elementary and junior-senior high school.
Flooding inundated the area, and most of the town was forced to evacuate their homes.
Some of the larger rivers are still out of their banks and continue to flood unprotected areas.
Moderate to major river flooding is still occurring at multiple river gauges in this area.
"The Ouachita River at Monroe, Louisiana, and the Boeuf River near Fort Necessity, Louisiana, are still at major flood stage," according to AccuWeather Meteorologist Becky Elliott.
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"Larger rivers in the region may continue to experience prolonged crests, while the smaller rivers could have minor rises as a result of the rain this week," Mussoline said.
"In addition to the risk of flooding, some of the thunderstorms can become severe with the potential for large hail, damaging winds and isolated tornadoes," according to AccuWeather Meteorologist Brett Rathbun.
The rain will end over much of the region from northwest to southeast Wednesday night and Thursday. However, the rain may be slower to leave some areas near the Gulf coast, east of the Mississippi River.

Clearing may not reach portions of Mississippi and Alabama until Friday.
It would take a few weeks of rain-free weather or very limited rainfall for all area rivers to return to average levels.