Torrential rain unleashes significant flooding in southern US
A storm will continue to unload torrential rain over the southeastern United States this week, and the result will be a broadening flood risk that includes urban locations, small streams and some rivers from Georgia to Indiana, AccuWeather meteorologists warn. Severe thunderstorms, including those that could spawn tornadoes, are also a prime concern.
In extreme cases, some neighborhoods may be inundated with high water that prompts water rescues.
The storm will move slowly and gain strength as it tracks from Texas to Ohio into Thursday. As it lumbers along, it will tap copious amounts of Gulf of Mexico moisture and release it through heavy rain and locally intense thunderstorms.
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A massive area, where 2-8 inches of rain has fallen as of Wednesday afternoon from the storm, stretched from central Texas to western Alabama. Within this area were pockets where 8-15 inches of rain had occurred in northeastern Texas to northern and central Louisiana. Most of the rain has completed west of the Mississippi River, but some downpours will redevelop into early Friday and add to the already excessive totals. Rainfall that may approach 6 inches will extend into parts of the Florida Panhandle and eastern Alabama. A general 2-4 inches of rain will extend northward into parts of the Ohio Valley states as well as along portions of the Atlantic Seaboard.
"The amount of rain forecast to fall is equal to or greater than an entire month's worth and will pour down in just three to four days," AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Tyler Roys said.
For example, the seasonal average rainfall for April in Shreveport, Louisiana, is 5.19 inches. For Jackson, Mississippi, it is 5.84 inches. On April 8 and 9, Shreveport received 7.24 inches, with 7.48 inches falling on Jackson through Wednesday.
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Flash flood emergencies were out for multiple counties in northeastern Texas at the start of Wednesday. Within 48 hours of the storm beginning, Jasper, Marshall and Temple, Texas, had already picked up at least 7 inches of rain as of Wednesday morning. Both Fort Polk and Monroe, Louisiana, had received at least 6 inches of rain through the same time frame.
The major cities with the potential to experience flash flooding, in addition to those already mentioned, include Nashville and Memphis, Tennessee; Louisville, Kentucky; Cincinnati and Atlanta. Street and highway flooding are likely, and catch basins will fill with runoff.
In New Orleans, which is below sea level, torrential rainfall overwhelmed the stormwater pumping system on Wednesday. From 7 to 9 a.m. local time, 1.79 inches of rain fell on nearby Lakefront Airport, Louisiana. From late morning to the afternoon, rain continued to pour down at the rate of 1-2 inches per hour in the Big Easy, with a flash flood emergency in effect as streets were inundated with several inches to a couple of feet of water.
A flash flood emergency was issued for Tallahassee, Florida, late Wednesday night as almost 3.50 inches of rain fell from 11 p.m. Wednesday to 5 a.m. Thursday. According to the National Weather Service in Tallahassee, numerous water rescues were ongoing, and water was reported to have entered multiple structures in the area.
Much of the area where the heaviest rain will pour down is free of significant drought, with a few exceptions.
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Due to frequent storms this winter, Mississippi and Louisiana have experienced a dramatic turnaround from extreme to exceptional drought last autumn. This means that once the rains intensify, runoff will escalate quickly with surges on small streams and secondary rivers.
In central and northeastern Texas alone, the Sabine, Trinity and Neches rivers, to name a few, will rise significantly into the end of the week, with moderate flooding occurring in some cases. However, due to prior rainfall, high water surges continue to work downstream in the larger rivers, such as the Ohio and Mississippi. It may take a few weeks until these largest waterways respond to this week's rainfall. For the next few months, no low water level problems for tug and barge traffic are anticipated in Mississippi and Ohio.
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A barge moves on the Mississippi River, on Wednesday, Nov. 8, 2023, near Cairo, Ill. During the summer and autumn of 2023, parts of the Mississippi River dipped to historic lows after drought conditions persisted. River levels have trended higher during the winter and spring of 2024. (AP Photo/Joshua A. Bickel) |
The threat of severe weather, including tornadoes in the Southern states, was raised to high level in some locations earlier this week. Reports of damaging winds stretched from Louisiana to the Florida Panhandle on Wednesday. The risk of severe weather will continue to press eastward into Thursday and will reach the Atlantic coast.
Another pocket of severe weather is forecast for parts of the Midwest on Thursday.
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