Dangerous Flood Threat to Persist in Texas, Southern Plains

By Brian Lada, Meteorologist

May 25,2015; 1:41AM,EDT

 

 

A dangerous and life-threatening flooding situation will continue into Memorial Day, across portions of Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Arkansas and Missouri.
According to AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Alex Sosnowski, "Soon after one round of heavy rain and thunderstorms moves off to the east, additional rounds of storms will fire up and sweep through areas that are in flood or are teetering on the brink of flooding."
Major flooding occurred in parts of Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas Saturday into Sunday. Additional rounds of heavy rain, flooding and the risk of severe thunderstorms will occur into Memorial Day.
"After a bit of a lull on Sunday, a new round of drenching storms, including severe weather will ramp up over central Texas to parts of Oklahoma on Monday," Sosnowski said.
Areas of rain and thunderstorms will reach all the way from Texas through the Dakotas during the Memorial Day weekend.
Holiday festivities are likely to be impacted by this weekend's rain, threatening to cancel many outdoor events and pushing cookouts indoors.

Tulsa and McAlester, Oklahoma; Wichita Falls, San Antonio, Austin, Houston, Port Arthur and Dallas, Texas; and Kansas City, Missouri, are some cities that could experience dangerous flooding.
Some locations are likely to end up with over 6 inches of rain during the holiday weekend. This is more rain than many parts of the Plains receive in all of May.
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All of this rain can create a particularly dangerous flooding situation for some communities that have already picked up a substantial amount of rain this month.
"Much of this area has received two to five times their average rainfall so far this month," said AccuWeather Meteorologist Brian Thompson.

This has left the ground saturated with water, meaning that it will not take much rain for more flooding to occur.
Multiple streams and rivers in Texas were in flood stage on Sunday, including the Blanco River at Wimberley, the Nueces River at Cotulla and the Wichita River at Wichita Falls. Record flooding was occurring along part of the Blanco River, according to the National Weather Service.
"Watch for flooded roadways," warned AccuWeather Chief Meteorologist Elliot Abrams. "Don't be in the next video of someone getting rescued from their car in raging flood waters."
Never drive through a flooded roadway. Less than a couple of feet of flowing water can sweep a vehicle downstream into deeper water. The road beneath the flood waters could have been washed away.
"Know the terrain around you when heading out to recreational areas, so you can avoid the danger of low-lying areas when flooding strikes," Abrams said.
While flash flooding is expected to be the biggest and most widespread concern, severe weather is also a concern.
Some stronger storms are also forecast to accompany the flooding downpours, bringing wind gusts past 60 mph, hail as large as golf balls and even a few tornadoes.

The greatest risk of damaging thunderstorms and a few tornadoes on Sunday evening will extend from the northwestern Gulf Coast to Arkansas, southern Missouri and western Tennessee.
Severe or not, every thunderstorm brings the danger of lightning. With it being a holiday weekend, more people are likely to want to spend some time outside when there is a break in the rain.
"Residents should monitor their local forecast pages to determine the best time to schedule outdoor plans," said AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Kristina Pydynowski.
"A close eye will have to be kept on the sky and AccuWeather MinuteCast® to know when to move indoors," added Pydynowski.
If you are outside, you should take note of changing weather conditions and seek shelter to stay protected from lightning if a storm is approaching.
The rain and thunderstorm activity will decrease across the region following Memorial Day, giving residents a break from the torrents of heavy rain.
Unfortunately, early indications suggest that another round of a widespread, soaking rain will move into the southern Plains by Friday.
This could deliver several more inches of rain over Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas, before the month of May comes to a close, renewing the flooding danger.
While the rounds of rain will bring many negative impacts to the Plains, it has also brought some positives.
One of the most notable positive impacts is the significant improvement in the drought that has gripped the region for several years.
This is great news for farmers and ranchers across Texas and Oklahoma that rely heavily on water for their crops and cattle.
With more rain on the way, it is possible that the drought conditions may completely disappear from this portion of the country over the coming months.
The rain in the past few weeks has reached historic levels.
Heavy rains caused street around the Oklahoma City area Saturday. (Photo/Twitter user @Theycallmefrito)