Severe Thunderstorm Watches Issued as Heavy Rain and a Few Severe Storms Expected From Gulf Coast to the East

May 1,2016
A slow-moving frontal system will keep the threat of locally heavy rain and a few severe storms in play from the Gulf Coast to parts of the East to start this week.
The National Weather Service has posted flash flood watches for extreme southeast Texas, southern Louisiana, and southwest Mississippi. This is an area where the potential for flooding will be the highest on Sunday. Flash flooding turned deadly Friday night in Palestine, Texas, where up to 7.78 inches of rain had fallen.
NOAA's Storm Prediction Center has issued the following severe weather watches:

• A severe thunderstorm watch is in effect until 12 a.m. EDT for portions of eastern Illinois and central Indiana. The watch area includes Indianapolis.
• A severe thunderstorm watch is valid until 12 a.m. EDT for parts of western Virginia and southeastern West Virginia. 

A tornado was reported near Darlington, Indiana Sunday night. Near Brocton, Illinois 3 inch diameter hail was observed near Sunday night and in Sugar Hill, North Carolina hail up to 2 inches in diameter caused widespread damage Sunday evening.
Trees and power lines were downed on Sunday afternoon in La Grange, Kentucky and near Murray, Kentucky. A large barn was blown over in Smithfield, Kentucky Sunday afternoon and significant wind damage was also reported to a home in Grayson, Kentcuky early Sunday evening.
Sunday morning, heavy rain caused significant flooding in southern Louisiana, including reports of cars submerged on Interstate 49 north of Lafayette and reports of water entering some homes. Rainfall totals of 6 to 9 inches had been reported from Sunday midnight through Sunday late morning.
For the more news on the latest impacts from the severe storms and heavy rain, click the link below.
(LATEST NEWS: Severe Storms, Flooding Impacts)
Scroll down for an overview of the timing and impacts for the severe storm and flood threat into the early this week.

Current Radar with Watches and Warnings

(MORE: View National Interactive Radar Map | Difference Between a Watch and a Warning)
Sunday Night: 

• Locally heavy rain and a few severe storms may impact a swath from the mid-Atlantic and Southeast to the Gulf Coast.
• Overall the potential for severe storms will be much lower than previous days, however gusty winds and hail will still be possible. Heavy rain may also cause localized flash flooding, particularly in the Lower Mississippi Valley and near the Gulf Coast, saturated from the past few days of heavy rain.

Monday:

• Once again, any severe t-storms should be relatively few and far between from the eastern Carolinas to south Texas.
• However, areas of locally heavy rain and flash flooding may persist in the Lower Mississippi Valley and western/northern Gulf Coast.

Below is the rainfall forecast through Monday. Keep in mind that locally heavier amounts of rain can fall in short periods of time than what is shown on the map.
The heavy rain falling on already saturated ground is likely to produce additional flooding.

Rainfall Forecast

Recap: Flooding and Severe Weather Reports Late Week

48-hour estimated rainfall ending 7 a.m. CT, Saturday, April 30, 2016 (contours) and reports of flooding (blue icons) April 29-30, 2016.

Friday night into early Saturday, evacuations were prompted in the towns of Kilgore and Hughes Springs, Texas. Homes were flooded in the Gin City community near Bradley, Arkansas. Vehicles stalled in high water in Caddo Parish, Louisiana, and a mudslide blocked a road in Plain Dealing, Louisiana. Street flooding became widespread Saturday morning in Lake Charles, Louisiana.
A cooperative observer southeast of Marshall, Texas, reported over 9 inches of rain Friday. Flooded roads even hampered National Weather Service storm survey crews trying to assess damage from Friday night's severe weather in Harrison County, Texas.
Early Saturday, 60 mph wind gusts shifted and damaged two planes at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport. Windows were also blown out of a few homes in Bastrop County from 75 mph winds, and high winds overturned a semi on I-35 near Kyle, Texas, shutting down the northbound lanes for a time. Some trees were downed in the far north Houston metro area in Montgomery and northern Harris Counties.

MORE: Strange Tornado Debris