Eclipse + Severe Storms + Floods May Bring Perfect Storm to Texas

Perfect Storm Brewing?

The Collins Dictionary defines a perfect storm as "an unusual combination of events or things that produce an unusually bad or powerful result."

I don't mean to be the kid who cried wolf, but the first part of next week could bring a bad result to parts of Texas thanks to a combination of astronomical and meteorological events.

Solar Eclipse 2024

It's finally here. Early Monday afternoon, much of Texas will be shaded by this rare astronomical event. A healthy swath across the heart of Texas and into northeast Texas will get the area of 'totality'.

The population of cities and counties within this swath is expected to grow exponentially. Many areas have declared states of emergency, while schools and businesses are shutting down for the day.

It's also looking like the massive influx of solar gazers will be in for a huge disappointment. A series of storms is expected to move into central and east Texas beginning Monday, bringing a large layer of cloud cover to obscure the eclipse...READ MORE.

Severe Storms & Flooding

Stormy weather in the spring is nothing new to Texas. However, multiple rounds of strong to severe storms are expected across the eastern half of Texas beginning Monday,

continuing through Tuesday,

with the threat finally ending late Wednesday.

All severe elements such as hail, high winds, and tornadoes are on the table. Plus, three days of storms and downpours are expected to bring the very real possibility of flooding.

3-7 inches of rain should be pretty common three-day totals across east Texas. Some weather models are showing pockets in Texas and Louisiana that could get up to a foot of rain.

Planning for a Perfect Storm

I'm an optimist, so I'm hoping that the only issue on Monday will be a major increase in Texas traffic in areas within the total eclipse swath. However, I like to be prepared, so we have to consider the following 'what ifs'.

• Severe storms causing widespread power outages

  • Power outages have a massive domino effect on residents, businesses, and travelers.

• Detours/delays/closures due to flooding or trees on roadways

  • The worst of the weather is expected from Austin to Dallas and eastward. Still, if travelers are trying to head back east from central Texas, they could be in for a much longer trip than expected.

• Storms causing delays or cancellations of flights

  • Even if your airport (perhaps Austin or San Antonio) is in the clear, other airports and airspace could be at risk. This could have a domino effect of delays and cancellations throughout air travel.

• Extended stays due to weather cause an extra burden on resources

  • During the solar eclipse of 2017, some restaurants and stores in Texas ran out of food, while gasoline was in short supply elsewhere. 2024 could see a repeat of this. If weather causes visitors to extend their stays, that would create an extra burden on already exhausted resources.

How the Solar Eclipse Will Be Remembered

🌞The 2024 Solar Eclipse event will probably be remembered as an astronomical rarity that Mother Nature obscured.

🌞It will be remembered for bringing the one thing Interstate 35 did not need...hundreds of thousands of extra vehicles.

🌞It will be remembered for the influx of millions giving the toilets at Buc-ee's a record number of flushes.

🌞Hopefully, multiple rounds of severe weather won't add to the possible headaches next week.