How The Deadly Texas Flooding Unfolded
You can read the latest on the situation in Texas here, but we will try to break down the details of what unfolded in the wee hours of Friday morning, July 4th.
There were several weather features at work during the week leading up to the catastrophic flooding that all worked in tandem to create this nightmare situation.
1 - Upper level disturbance: There was an upper level disturbance that pushed into the Hill Country from West Texas. This area of low pressure brought with it deep moisture, which set the stage for a very saturated environment to produce heavy downpours and torrential rain.
2 - Remnants from Barry: While the tropical moisture from Barry isn't 100% to blame for what happened in Texas, the remnant low definitely played a big part. Barry was a short-lived tropical system that made landfall in Mexico on Sunday, June 29th. The storm's lingering moisture has been pumping into the southern U.S. ever since and has helped enhance the instability across the Lone Star state.
3 - Low level jet stream: This is a weather feature located a few thousand feet above the ground that was aimed right at the Hill Country. This weather setup allowed for a constant stream of moisture to feed into the area as well. This also enhanced the rainfall and moisture in the area.
As the rain stalled over Central Texas, the rate of rainfall reached four inches an hour at times. The rate of rainfall (how much rain falls in a given time period) and the fact that the rain never let up for hours on end, aided in the development of this catastrophic scenario that set up.
The geography of the Hill Country only contributes to flooding like this. The hills create a funnel, so all the rain that falls, races down the hillsides and into the rivers below. All of this water flowing into the river beds at once causes them to rise sharply. In the case of the Guadalupe River, it rose 26 feet in 45 minutes.
According to the Weather Prediction Center, more than 20 inches of rain fell in Streeter, Texas, which is north of Kerrville. In a tweet, they show how Texas is no stranger to double digit rainfall totals caused from tropical systems.
The heart-breaking images like the ones we are seeing come out of Texas has reminded me of how quickly these events can unfold. I'll never forget Memorial Day weekend in 2015, covering the deadly floods from Wimberly, Texas. The Blanco River rose 45 feet in one hour, killing 13 people and destroying 400 homes.
Always remember, It's extremely important to stay weather aware and have a way to get weather alerts, and follow instructions from emergency officials should they be given.
Jennifer Gray is a weather and climate writer for weather.com. She has been covering some of the world's biggest weather and climate stories for the last two decades.
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