Daily Downpours to Aggravate Flooding in Texas, Louisiana

By Jordan Root, Meteorologist

June 13,2015; 10:00PM,EDT

 

 

After a very wet month of May, June has been the exact opposite for Texas and Louisiana, with dry weather winning on most days. However, that is about to change.
A plume of Gulf moisture and a potential tropical system, driven by southerly winds from a nearby area of high pressure, is set to stream into parts of the South. Starting this weekend, this moisture will provide fuel for drenching showers and thunderstorms across the region for at least several days.
"Flooding rainfall will return to southeastern Texas and Louisiana this weekend due to this plume of moisture," said AccuWeather Meteorologist Rob Richards.

An area stretching from Houston to New Orleans northward to Little Rock will be at risk for more flooding issues in the coming days. Several inches of rain are likely over the weekend with a couple more possible early next week.
Rivers are already running high across Texas, Louisiana and Arkansas, despite receding some in early June with the drier conditions. Still, many communities along the Red River in Louisiana are facing major flooding with many be forced to evacuate due to the high water invading their home.
Shreveport, Louisiana, for example, has been dealing with flooding for over a week now. Heavy May rain across Texas and Oklahoma has swollen streams and pushed rivers over their banks.
Other rivers, such as the Trinity River in eastern Texas, are also running dangerously high, well above flood stages.

A Wet Month of May for Many

City	May Precipitation/Normal (in.)
New Orleans	9.14/4.63
Shreveport, Louisiana	10.97/4.93
Houston	14.17/5.09
Little Rock, Arkansas	9.45/4.87
Tyler, Texas	10.19/4.41

"Any more rainfall in this area will lead to more flooding problems given how swollen area rivers and streams are already," said Richards.
These showers and thunderstorms will have the ability to bring rainfall rates over an inch an hour which could trigger flash flooding on roads and streets.
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Motorists will want to keep alert when driving through blinding downpours. If high water is encountered, folks are urged to turn around and find an alternative route.
Interstate 10 may have delays due to heavy rain and those planning on traveling will want to allow extra time.
Aside from flooding, these storms are not expected to bring widespread severe weather. However, a few storms could bring strong wind gusts.

This pattern is expected to continue through early in the new week and may last even longer.
The southern Plains and the Gulf Coast will not be the only regions impacted by this system.
The rain and moisture is forecast to advance toward the Midwest and Tennessee during the middle part of the week. However, there are still some uncertainties on where exactly the rain will go after soaking the Southern states.
AccuWeather's Summer Forecast calls for wet conditions across the central Gulf Coast due to warm water temperatures and a building El Niño pattern.
AccuWeather.com Meteorologists Brian Lada and Courtney Spamer contributed content to this story.