Weekly Wrap-Up: Texas Storms, Flooding Kill Dozens and Strand Hundreds of Motorists

By Michael Kuhne, AccuWeather.com Staff Writer

May 29,2015; 11:34PM,EDT

 

 

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Severe storms ripped across Texas, Oklahoma and Mexico, leaving destruction and death in their wake as the extended Memorial Day weekend came to a close.
There have been more than two dozen storm-related deaths since May 22, the Associated Press reported.
As of Thursday, at least 17 were killed in Texas, and four others were killed in Oklahoma. Several more remained missing.
Of the total deaths, the AP reported that at least 14 others died in a tornado that hit the border city of Ciudad Acuna, Mexico. At least 200 homes were destroyed.
Torrential rain and strong thunderstorms pushed across the southern Plains through the weekend, spawning tornadoes and deadly flash flooding from Kansas to Texas.
"An intense squall line that formed in the Sierra Madre Mountains of Mexico late in the day on Saturday marched across central and eastern Texas Saturday night," AccuWeather Meteorologist Ben Noll said.
Flood waters reached staggering heights in San Marcos, Texas. (Photo/City of San Marcos, Texas)
"Rainfall rates were record-smashing in some cases, particularly near Blanco, Texas, north of San Antonio and west of Austin," Noll said.
Totals averaged between 3 and 6 inches, but localized amounts up to 10 inches were observed, leading to the worst river flooding in recorded history of the Blanco River in San Marcos, Texas.
Additionally, more than 3 inches of rain fell on Oklahoma City making the month of May the wettest on record with over 17 inches. The previous record was 14.52 inches set in May of 2013.
A state of emergency was put into effect for more than 40 Oklahoma counties as a result of the dangerous flooding.
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The National Weather Service in Norman, Oklahoma, had issued 70 flash flood warnings so far this year, a total higher than the last four years combined.
Heavy rain caused street around the Oklahoma City area Saturday. (Photo/Twitter user @Theycallmefrito)
Severe storms continued to impact portions of the southern Plains after erupting over the region through the weekend and into Monday night.
As residents woke up on Tuesday, the rain and thunderstorms were diminishing across Texas but left behind swollen rivers, flooded roadways and a nightmare for those traveling in the area.
As residents in the Houston area woke up Tuesday morning, water levels rose higher than some cars at times. (Twitter Photo/@scribblesnjots8)
The Houston area was heavily hit and major flooding occurred throughout the city.
At least 2,500 abandoned vehicles have been left scattered across Houston roadways after drivers sought higher ground, the AP reported, adding that about 530 water-related calls were handled by Houston emergency crews since midnight Monday.
Interstate 45 in Houston was flooded and cars were left stranded Monday night into Tuesday morning. (Twitter Photo/@toddfarq)
In addition, hundreds of homes have been damaged by flooding in Harris County, which includes the Houston metro, according to the AP.
On Wednesday, storms continued across areas of Texas, but they were not as severe as recent storms that have caused widespread destruction.
One of the severe storms spawned a tornado that tore through a Canadian, Texas, drilling rig, injuring three people, on Wednesday night.
Several AccuWeather meteorologist and staff writers contributed content to this article.