Texas, Southern Plains on Alert for Another Round of Flooding Rainfall

By Jordan Root, Meteorologist

November 2,2015; 10:47PM,EST

 

 

Following a very wet second half of October in the southern Plains, the weather pattern is showing no signs of letting up as another storm system is expected to deliver heavy rain towards the end of the week.
A storm aloft diving into the West early this week will emerge across the southern Plains later this week and will combine with a southeasterly flow of moisture from the Gulf of Mexico.

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This combination will spell out trouble for an already water-logged Texas.
"Rain and thunderstorms, heavy enough to prompt new flood concerns, will develop across the Plains Thursday and linger into Saturday for parts of the region," said AccuWeather.com Meteorologist Andy Mussoline.
Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas will experience rain and thunderstorms Thursday, but concern is growing that a front associated with the system may stall out over eastern Texas heading into the weekend.

This front would be the focal point of the heaviest and longest lasting rain, which would aggravate or create new flood concerns.
"Inches of rain will be possible across Texas, including Dallas, San Antonio, Austin, and Houston," said Mussoline.
Recent flooding in the Lone Star State was caused by Tropical Rainstorm Patricia and another storm system at the very end of October. Both systems brought slow-moving and heavy rainfall to parts of Texas.
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More than two dozen river gauges across the eastern half of Texas are currently reporting flooding, with 13 of those in the moderate to major category, according to the West Gulf River Forecast Center.
With the arrival of more heavy rain on the horizon, these rivers will likely remain swollen and out of their banks. This means that flood-prone communities along these rivers will continue to be under water or threatened.
Heavy rain has soaked much of eastern Texas over the past two weeks. This graphic shows rainfall departure from normal (Inches) between Oct. 17, 2015 and Oct. 31, 2015. Note the large area of over 8 inches from Dallas to Austin and east to Houston. Image/NOAA
Roadways that are closed now due to high water will could remain closed for an extended period of time. Motorists will need to keep this in mind when traveling.
The storm system could even spawn some strong to perhaps severe thunderstorms late in the week across the Plains; although at this point, any severe storm would likely be very localized.
AccuWeather meteorologists will continue monitoring this storm system over the coming days.
The very active pattern across the South is in a large part due to El Niño.
Water and debris cover sit on a road after a swollen Guadalupe River swept over the road due to heavy rainfall, Friday, Oct. 30, 2015, in Gruene, Texas. A fast-moving storm packing heavy rain and destructive winds overwhelmed rivers and prompted evacuations Friday in the same area of Central Texas that saw devastating spring floods. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)