Storms to raise flood threat from Houston to New Orleans into Monday

By Renee Duff, AccuWeather.com Meteorologist

August 28,2016; 8:10PM,EDT

 

 

Slow-moving and repetitive downpours will raise the risk for flash flooding along the western Gulf Coast into early week.
A weak, but moisture-laden system skirting along the Gulf Coast will be responsible for producing multiple clusters of heavy thunderstorms across Louisiana and Texas into Monday.
The system's journey over the warm Gulf waters has been too short for any tropical development.

Regardless, several days of heavy rainfall will lead to a high flood risk in places such as Lake Charles, Louisiana, and Houston this weekend and Corpus Christi, Texas, by Monday.
"This system has a high amount of moisture available to be tapped into," said AccuWeather Meteorologist Michael Doll.
While the brunt of the rain is expected to stay right along and just inland of the coast, locally drenching thunderstorms are possible even away from the coast.
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Rainfall rates could exceed an inch per hour under the heaviest downpours. Rainfall totals may surpass 3 inches in some locations through Monday.
The torrential downpours will struggle to soak into grounds still saturated from major flooding earlier this month in portions of Louisiana.
Even in the absence of flooding so far this month, most areas across the south-central U.S. have been inundated with above-average rainfall.

"The repetitive downpours will fall over an area that cannot absorb a lot of water," Doll explained.
In addition to raising the risk for flooding, slower travel could ensue in and around the downpours.
Motorists should be on alert for reduced visibilities and ponding along Interstate 10.
Incoming and outgoing airline passengers to and from Houston may be delayed for a time.
Beyond Monday, the frequency and intensity of the downpours may lessen across the region. However, all interests along the Gulf Coast should monitor the progress of a tropical disturbance which will first soak Florida with potentially flooding downpours early this week.