Persistent downpours threaten to trigger major flooding in lower Mississippi Valley

By Courtney Spamer, Meteorologist

March 6,2016; 11:37PM,EST

 

A storm that will start by pounding California with more rain and mountain snow into Monday will create a dangerous flooding situation in and around the lower Mississippi Valley this week.
The storm will bring moisture from the Gulf of Mexico after it crosses over the Rockies early in the week.

South Central Extended Regional Weather Forecast

"The slow movement of the storm and moisture will enhance the risk of excessive rainfall from portions of the southern and central Plains to parts of the lower Mississippi and Ohio valleys," AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Alex Sosnowski said.
Not only will moisture from this storm bring heavy rainfall, but the storm will also draw the moist and humid air from the Gulf of Mexico.
The combination of these two air masses will significantly increase the chance for flooding downpours into the new week.

From Tuesday to as late as Friday of the new week, waves of heavy rain will continue to deluge eastern Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Arkansas and southern Missouri. By late in the week, the heavy rain will cross the Mississippi River, reaching Mississippi to southern Indiana.
In Little Rock, Arkansas, the average total rainfall for the month of March is around 4.7 inches. In just a few days next week, this amount could be reached or surpassed. Cities like Memphis, Tennessee, and Dallas, Texas, could also have a month's worth of rain in only a week.
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Rainfall this week has the potential to approach a foot from eastern Texas to the lower Mississippi River.
That has significantly heightened the concern for major flooding in and around this region. Rapidly rising water from the torrential rain would endanger residents and motorists with evacuations and road closures possible.

The heavy rain will slowly expand eastward later in the week.
Motorists are reminded to never drive through a flooded road to avoid a potentially deadly situation. The road underneath could be severely eroded or the current may be strong enough to carry a vehicle away.
Exactly where the heaviest rain will fall will be determined once the storm reaches south-central states on Monday.
After days of the rain being stalled in the lower Mississippi Valley, the storm could shift the drenching rain into the Southeast and Northeast by the new weekend.