Tuesday Forecast: Rainy Day with Tornado Threat in East Texas

Finally! It looks like Deep East Texas is in for some widespread downpours. The National Weather Service is forecasting a 100% chance of rain on Tuesday. However, some of these storms could produce severe weather...even tornadoes cannot be ruled out.

Let's Talk About The Rain: When and How Much?

NWS

The chance of showers will start to pick up to about 30% after midnight tonight. By sunrise, that'll jump to about 55%. From 10 a.m. Tuesday and continuing through the early afternoon hours, that's when the widespread soaking of the Pineywoods should occur. The rain chances start diminishing after 2 p.m., and the line of showers and storms should have all cleared out of Deep East Texas by sundown. Accumulated rainfall totals should be around half an inch to an inch, but there could be a few downpours that may lead to brief, isolated flooding.

The Severe Weather Threat For East Texas

NWS/Shreveport

It's been a while since we've had the threat of severe storms in the Pineywoods. That's a 'duh' statement since we haven't had much rain, either. Over the past few forecast cycles, the Storm Prediction Center has gradually increased the severe weather threat. Saturday, the threat was mainly confined to isolated damaging wind gusts. Sunday's outlook mentioned a tornado couldn't be ruled out. Now, a 'few tornadoes' could spawn from some of these storm cells. A widespread tornado outbreak is not in the mix, but just keep alert to the changing weather, especially from mid-morning to early afternoon.

Colder Weather On The Way

The catalyst for these storm chances is a significant cold front that will bring our temperatures to some of the coolest of this young fall season. By Wednesday, the high will be 75 with sunshine. Overnight lows will get into the 40s and 50s for the remainder of the week and weekend. The high on Sunday may not make it out of the 60s.