Central Texas braces for more rain, flooding after deadly holiday weekend

Yahoo

6 days ago

More downpours and flash flooding are expected to batter already storm-ravaged parts of central Texas, as thunderstorms sweep through the area where rescue and recovery efforts have begun.
The National Weather Service extended a flood watch July 7 through 7 p.m. local time for much of central Texas, anticipating that slow-moving thunderstorms will drop more heavy rain across the region.
Forecasters warned of difficulty pinpointing exactly where the heaviest rain could fall, but said intense storms and scattered showers are most likely in the south-central part of the state, where the worst of deadly floods occurred.
More: 27 children, counselors at Camp Mystic killed in Texas floods: Live updates
Texas' Hill Country could see between 2 and 4 inches of rainfall by evening, with potential for up to 10 inches in some spots, federal forecasters said. Counties most likely to be impacted include Bell, Comanche, Coryell, Hamilton, Lampasas and Mills.
'It appears that the best chance will be farther south today across south-central Texas where the lower-level moisture is most abundant,' the weather service said.
'The thunderstorms should become more organized and move westward possibly across the flood-ravaged portion of Texas during the day today as the storms interact with the disturbance aloft," according to the forecast.
As temperatures rise throughout the day, more storms could form across other parts of Texas and Mississippi into the Ohio Valley and stretching toward New England, forecasters said.
Thunderstorms are likely to subside in the evening but could pop up again on July 8 across the south-central Plains, forecasters predicted. Drier and warmer conditions are expected to take hold through the end of the week.
Other parts of Texas may see some relief. Storms that pummeled northern Texas over the weekend began tapering off in the early morning of Monday, July 7, the weather service said.
Extreme flooding began in the Texas Hill Country around 4:00 a.m., on July 4, as thunderstorms dropped more than 10 inches of rain on the region. The rain overwhelmed the Guadalupe River, causing it to quickly rise.
At least 81 people have died in the devastating floods, including 27 campers and counselors from an all-girls camp in Central Texas.
'There are dangers over the next 24-48 hours that could pose public safety threats. If there's any water on the road, the most important thing you can do is to protect your lives,' Texas Governor Gregg Abbott said in a July 6 statement. 'Remember: Turn Around, Don't Drown.'
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: More rain, flooding to slam central Texas after deadly weekend