Tropical downpours to drench southern US into next week

By Alex Sosnowski, AccuWeather senior meteorologist

June 1,2017, 1:55:17PM,EDT

 

 

People with travel and outdoor plans in the southern United States will have to contend with tropical downpours that could lead to isolated flooding into next week.
While downpours will be scattered throughout the region through this weekend, there will be areas of concentrated rainfall on already saturated ground that will elevate the risk of flooding.
In general, the heaviest rain will fall on the Interstate 10 corridor. However, torrential downpours and isolated flooding problems are likely as far north as I-20 and even part of I-40.
On Saturday, the area at greatest risk for flash, urban and small stream flooding will extend from central Texas and Oklahoma to southwestern Tennessee and Alabama.

Cumulative rainfall in parts of the South from the last few days of May to the first few days of June may top 5 inches in many locations and could approach 10 inches in the rainiest spots.
On Sunday, areas from the Big Bend area of Texas to eastern Tennessee and much of Georgia will be in the zone where drenching thunderstorms will be on the prowl.

During next week, a press of dry air from the central and northern Plains will impact the pattern of downpours. Drenching rainfall will begin to consolidate along the Gulf coast, before being shunted eastward.
However, this could mean good news for much of Florida, in areas being troubled by wildfires and drought conditions.
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The combination of a weak storm system from the southern Rockies and a batch of tropical moisture originating from the Pacific Ocean may bring general drenching rainfall to Florida during the middle to latter part of next week.

"There is a small chance a tropical depression organizes in the southwestern Gulf of Mexico in the coming days," according to AccuWeather Hurricane Expert Dan Kottlowski.
This development be born from the remnants of Beatriz moving inland over southern Mexico from the Pacific.
"Even if a tropical system manages to form, strong winds at mid-levels of the atmosphere will probably prevent full development," Kottlowski said.
Prior to the arrival of the rainstorm or weak tropical system next week, very spotty thunderstorms will erupt during the afternoons, before dissipating in the evenings.