BREAKING: East Texas Is Once Again At Risk for Flash Flooding
Sunday night, reoccurring storms dumped over half a foot of rain over much of Deep East Texas. Governor Greg Abbott issued a disaster declaration for many counties in east and southeast Texas including Trinity, Polk, and Tyler.
The Pineywoods could stand a couple of weeks of drying out time. Unfortunately, the opposite is expected to occur.
Flood Watch for East Texas
The National Weather Service has issued a Flood Watch for all of Deep East Texas. That watch will begin at 1 a.m. on Thursday and continue until 7 p.m. Thursday. The watch includes Angelina, Nacogdoches, and all surrounding counties.
Wednesday night/Thursday Storm Outlook
Wednesday evening, a widespread area of showers and thunderstorms has been developing and slowly moving across portions of the Brazos Valley. Six inches of rain has been reported in areas around Mexia and Groesbeck.
Heavy rain and quarter-sized hail were reported just before 9 p.m. near Lovelady. As a result, a severe thunderstorm warning was issued for portions of Trinity and Houston Counties. This system to move into Angelina County later tonight.
That system of storms is expected to push eastward into the Pineywoods overnight. Severe storms with hail and damaging winds are possible, but the most concerning threat is heavy downpours over saturated ground, which may lead to flooding.
If you live an area that is susceptible to flooding, please have a plan to safely get to higher ground if the need arises.
East Texas Rain Threat Continues Through Friday
The rainy forecast for East Texas continues through Friday. Most weather computer models are showing 2 to 5 inches of rain falling through this period. However, a few others expect that total to be much higher.
A few of these storms could grow to severe levels (hail/wind/tornado), but, once again, flooding is expected to be the main threat. Listen to our station for weather alerts, and download our free station app to have weather alerts sent to your smartphone.
The Most Famous Monuments in Texas
Gallery Credit: Billy Jenkins