Flash flooding could hit the American South early this week as another round of severe storms inundates already saturated ground, including parts of Texas, where hundreds of people were rescued during torrential rains last week.
More than 13 million people are under flood watches Monday through Tuesday in a stretch stretching from central Texas to the Florida Panhandle, including rain-weary areas north of Houston.
Metropolitan centers including New Orleans, Shreveport, Mobile and Tallahassee could experience flooding.
“Severe thunderstorms are expected today in central and eastern Texas and parts of the Gulf Coast states. The potential could develop for corridors of significant wind gusts, very large hail and some tornadoes,” warns the Storm Prediction Center.
The South was hit by several rounds of rain last week, including severe storms that passed through Texas and reached Louisiana on Sunday, bringing hail and prompting the National Weather Service to issue tornado warnings and flash flood warnings.
High winds, hail up to 4 inches in diameter and tornadoes are expected as these storms move across the Gulf Coast on Monday and another wall of severe thunderstorms begins to build across East Texas and Louisiana.
The heaviest rainfall is forecast from southeast Louisiana to western Florida. Precipitation rates in the area could reach 3 inches per hour and combined with Sunday's storms to reach up to 8 inches of total precipitation.
Parts of the Southeast have experienced a relentless barrage of severe storms over the past two weeks that have pummeled the region with damaging winds and hail and dangerous tornadoes and flooding.
River gauges in East Texas and Louisiana are still high from rain from a week ago, including the Liberty River, which is still in major flood stage north of Houston. At least seven other rivers in both states are in moderate flood stage.
On Tuesday, the threat shifts to the southeast and an area stretching from the Florida Panhandle to the Carolinas is forecast to see the brunt of the storms.
Texas on alert
The powerful storms hitting Texas are just the latest in a series of severe weather events that have ravaged the state since early April.
Dozens of tornadoes struck from the Texas Panhandle to the Gulf Coast last month, leaving a trail of destroyed homes and businesses.
Some areas of the state were also inundated with hail, and months-long rains soaked East Texas, causing rivers to rise to levels not seen since the devastating floods from Hurricane Harvey in 2017.
Last weekend in Harris County, Texas, more than 200 people had to be rescued from homes and vehicles as rains caused rivers to overflow and roads to become underwater.
Many people had to strand their livestock and more than 150 pets were rescued in the storms, Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo told CNN .
Just days earlier, some communities north of Houston experienced nearly two months' worth of rain, prompting evacuations and water rescues.
Consecutive rains leave the region especially vulnerable to flash floods, as rivers are already full and the soil has little capacity to absorb more water.
Source: CNN Brasil
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