Downpours to unleash flash flooding in Texas, Oklahoma and Arkansas
Inches of rain are forecast to pour down on a zone from central and eastern Texas to southeastern Oklahoma and western Arkansas in the coming days, which can trigger dangerous flash flooding.
Downpours will be strewn across the Interstate 10 and 20 corridors of the southern United States from New Mexico and Texas to Florida, Georgia and the Carolinas into midweek. In some instances, the heavy rain will be associated with gusty and severe thunderstorms.
Some of the most intense thunderstorms from large complexes will focus on parts of Texas into Tuesday night, with some areas potentially blasted by more than one severe storm with high winds, hail and flash flooding in 24 hours.
Should a large complex of thunderstorms reach its peak intensity, a long-lived high wind event that tracks for hundreds of miles could unfold. The weather community refers to such a potentially large, damaging thunderstorm complex as a derecho.
At this time, AccuWeather meteorologists believe that a derecho is unlikely, but some communities can face damaging weather as storms become intense for a brief time and lead to regional power outages.Have the app? Unlock AccuWeather Alerts™ with Premium+
A storm swinging out from northern Mexico will track across the South Central states from Wednesday to Friday, setting the stage for thunderstorms to erupt in a very moist environment created by the Gulf.
This setup will unleash the tremendous amounts of moisture in the atmosphere in the form of torrential downpours where up to a few inches of rain can pour down in a few hours or less. This alone can trigger rapid flooding of city streets, turn dry washes into raging torrents and lead to rapid rises on some streams and rivers in the region from central Texas to western Arkansas, including southeastern Oklahoma and perhaps northwestern Louisiana.
"Some of the heaviest rain and perhaps a concentration of flash flooding is likely to occur along the I-35 corridor of Texas and southern Oklahoma and includes the major cities of Dallas, San Antonio and Austin, Texas," AccuWeather Senior Storm Warning Meteorologist Eddie Walker said.
Where the downpours repeat over a number of days, 6-10 inches of rain could fall in localized areas, which can lead to flooding on a more regional basis.
Much of the zone where the heaviest rain will fall is not in drought, as downpours since the early spring have replenished soil moisture and then some.
There are some areas, mainly south and west of Austin, where drought is serious and any non-flooding rainfall would be welcomed. However, even in part of this zone of south-central Texas, too much rain can fall too fast and lead to dangerous flash flooding.
"In Texas, many droughts end in floods," AccuWeather Chief On-Air Meteorologist Bernie Rayno said, "However, in this case, flash flooding won't discriminate between drought and saturated areas."
Want next-level safety, ad-free? Unlock advanced, hyperlocal severe weather alerts when you subscribe to Premium+ on the AccuWeather app. AccuWeather Alerts™ are prompted by our expert meteorologists who monitor and analyze dangerous weather risks 24/7 to keep you and your family safer.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
8 hours ago
- Yahoo
Rain, storms to return to much of Northeast for Father's Day weekend
The clock is ticking on a batch of dry air that turned off showers and thunderstorms for most areas in the Northeast. AccuWeather meteorologists say that moist air capable of producing downpours is not all that far away and will return to some areas before the Father's Day weekend. A small area of high pressure that moved in from the Midwest was just strong enough to dry out the atmosphere through Thursday for much of the Northeast. An exception will be some showers in northern Maine and a narrow zone of showers and spotty thunderstorms from the Lower Peninsula of Michigan to along the northern Pennsylvania and southern tier of New York border on Thursday. The sunshine and overall good drying conditions will help temperatures rise with widespread highs in the 80s F on Thursday. Some parts of the mid-Atlantic can reach the lower 90s on Thursday with AccuWeather RealFeel® Temperatures in the mid- to upper 90s. Beyond Thursday, however, the dry air will be replaced by clouds and the app? Unlock AccuWeather Alerts™ with Premium+ By Friday afternoon, the return of higher humidity levels will lead to an uptick in showers and thunderstorms from southern and western New York through the rest of the mid-Atlantic and central Appalachians. While not all of this area will experience a downpour, the places that do could be drenched. And, some places might be soaked by more than one shower. As a storm rolls slowly out of the south-central United States this weekend, it will continue to pump moisture northward from the Gulf and northwestward from the Atlantic. The moisture surge may be significant enough for downpours to repeat and trigger flash flooding in parts of the Ohio Valley, southern Appalachians and part of the mid-Atlantic by Saturday. Those heading to the 250th anniversary parade of the U.S. Army in Washington, D.C., on Saturday should be prepared for a couple of drenching showers or thunderstorms. As the storm continues to advance northeastward and moisture further expands in the region on Sunday, most of the Northeast will be at risk for locally drenching showers and perhaps gusty thunderstorms. Father's Day barbeque plans, a fishing trip or a day at the ballpark or beach could be hampered by downpours and the potential for thunderstorms. The best day at the mid-Atlantic beaches over the next several days is likely to be on Thursday before the rain arrives over the weekend. Looking ahead into next week, "there are some signs that a spell of very warm weather or perhaps a even a heat wave may evolve," AccuWeather Lead Long-Range Meteorologist Paul Pastelok said. "That will depend on how strong an area of high pressure is that is forecast to build in place over the region." Time will tell if the high is strong enough to shunt the Father's Day weekend storm to the east and hold off new storms to the west. Want next-level safety, ad-free? Unlock advanced, hyperlocal severe weather alerts when you subscribe to Premium+ on the AccuWeather app. AccuWeather Alerts™ are prompted by our expert meteorologists who monitor and analyze dangerous weather risks 24/7 to keep you and your family safer.
Yahoo
10 hours ago
- Yahoo
Why doesn't the South Atlantic get many tropical storms?
If you look at a map showing the tracks of every tropical depression, subtropical storm, tropical storm and hurricane (called typhoons in the Western Pacific basin and cyclones in the Southern Hemisphere), you will notice something peculiar. There is a complete absence of storm tracks west of South America and very few tracks east of the continent. Why is that? The waters are too cold The lack of activity off the west coast of South America is primarily because of cold waters, AccuWeather Lead Hurricane Expert Alex DaSilva says. The Peru Current in the southeastern Pacific Ocean brings cold water unusually far northward along the west coast, too cold for tropical storms and hurricanes. Water temperatures need to be in at least 79 F (26 C) for tropical storms to develop and strengthen. Wind shear is stronger in these regions Another factor is higher wind shear, which tears apart most tropical storms before they can strengthen. Wind shear is particularly high in the Southern Hemisphere, due to a larger temperature gradient. "The waters off Brazil, in the Southern Atlantic, are not as cold, thanks to warmer water coming down from the north, but the wind shear is still too strong to support many tropical storms," DaSilva explained. The 'wave train' is missing in the South Atlantic Another missing piece of the puzzle in the South Atlantic is the African wave train, which pushes clusters of thunderstorms off the continent and over the North Atlantic during hurricane season. These storms can then go on to become a tropical depression, storm or hurricane. "Approximately 80 percent of major North Atlantic hurricanes develop in this area. This conveyor belt of tropical seedlings is absent from the southern Atlantic," DaSilva said. Only one hurricane is known to have traversed this basin Only one hurricane in recorded history has formed in the South Atlantic. In 2004, an unnamed storm, locally called Catarina, formed off the coast of Brazil. The storm made landfall near northeastern Rio Grande do Sul with 100-mph winds, killing three people and causing $300 million (2004 USD) in damage. According to the U.S. National Hurricane Center, only two additional unnamed tropical storms ever roamed the southern Atlantic basin, in 2010 and 2011. More South Atlantic storms likely missed by official records Other storms shown on the map above are not recognized in NOAA's database. Many of these are subtropical storms, which possess some tropical characteristics but are not fully developed tropical systems. The map also includes tropical storms named by the Brazilian Navy Hydrographic Center's Marine Meteorological Service (HCMM). The HCMM has been naming subtropical and tropical storms off the Brazilian coast since 2011, but its threshold for naming storms may not be as rigorous as in the rest of the world, so it may name more storms than other agencies, such as NOAA. On the other hand, because the records in the other basins stretch back much longer, 75 to 150 years, there are likely many storms in the South Atlantic that were never tracked. Out of roughly two dozen storms named by HCMM in the last 15 years, fewer than 10 of the named storms tracked since 2011 have made landfall on the South American coast. You may also notice that no storm has ever crossed the equator. This is because, at 0 degrees latitude, the Coriolis force is essentially zero, making it impossible for a tropical system to cross over from one hemisphere to another.
Yahoo
11 hours ago
- Yahoo
Wildfire smoke to limit number of days with deep blue sky this summer in Northeast, Midwest
Massive blazes erupted in Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia much earlier than normal this year, and the wind has blown the smoke across Canada and into parts of the central and eastern United States. The result has been worsening air quality, including the first week of June when it reached "dangerous" levels in the Midwest. AccuWeather Lead Long-Range Expert Paul Pastelok said long-lasting stretches of deep blue sky may not return to the Midwest and the Northeast for weeks or possibly even months, once fires burning in Canada are contained and extinguished. During much of the summer, wildfire smoke will be high-flying in the atmosphere and can dim or even block the sun. When the sun is dimmed, it can help reduce high temperatures by a few degrees during the day and keep temperatures somewhat elevated at night. Sunrises and sunsets may also be enhanced by the smoke and can even cause the sun to look red. As the wildfire season across the western United States ramps up, new fires can pour even more smoke into the sky, contributing to the hazy, milky conditions. The biggest impact on human health will be when the smoke dips to the lower levels of the atmosphere, degrading air quality and making the air smell like a campfire. The areas closer to the wildfires will have a higher risk of air quality impacts. "On sunny days, especially when there's consecutive sunny days in a row with a light wind, smoke and haze in the atmosphere can be more easily broken down by the sun and sink towards the surface, which can lead to a higher frequency of ozone action days or air quality alert days," AccuWeather Meteorologist Brandon Buckingham warned. Wildfire smoke contains fine particulate matter, aerosols and other contaminants, which can absorb and scatter ultraviolet radiation, leading to lower UV index readings at the ground level. Despite a reduction in UV exposure and a drop in afternoon high temperatures in areas impacted by wildfire smoke high in the sky, experts say it's important for people to apply sunscreen to protect their skin from harmful UV rays that can still reach the surface. "The closer you are to the fire, the higher the probability to be affected. But, of course, edge cases exist. You may be close to a fire and not be impacted at all, depending on the wind and the altitude," AccuWeather Lead Wildfire Smoke Expert Dr. Boris Quennehen said. "Smoke from wildfires can be transported across large distances, even near the ground level, and impact remote locations," Dr. Quennehen added. Latest on the Canadian wildfires Over 7 million acres of land across Canada have been scorched by wildfires so far this year, well above the historical average of 1.83 million acres for early June. More than 74 fires are burning across British Columbia. There are 60 fires in Alberta, and dozens of other fires are burning throughout Manitoba, Ontario, Saskatchewan and the Northwest Territories. Upcoming weather conditions across Canada could contribute to fires growing even larger or new fires breaking out.
