Rescue Teams Now Staging in East Texas, Flood Watch in Effect

🌧Flood Watch Issued for Deep East Texas

🌧Up to a Foot of Rain Possible

🌧Water Rescue Teams Are Now Staging

As predicted, the three-day rain has started in East Texas. As of late Monday afternoon, rainfall totals from 1 to 3 inches have been rather commonplace across the Pineywoods.

But, this is just the start and there's plenty more precipitation on the way. That's why the National Weather Service has issued a Flood Watch from Tuesday through Wednesday evening for most of Deep East Texas.

Flood Watch

This means that conditions and the forecast are favorable for flooding to occur across the watch area. That area includes the following Deep East Texas counties:

Angelina, Nacogdoches, Sabine, San Augustine, Shelby, Cherokee, Rusk, Tyler, Jasper, and Newton Counties - Polk, Trinity, and Houston Counties are not included, however, big rainfall totals are expected there, too.

How Much More Rain is on the Way?

Another 3-6 inches of rain will not be out of the ordinary across the east and southeast Texas area by Wednesday evening.  Some locations could get more.

A few weather models are showing that a foot of rain could accumulate in Polk and Tyler Counties as well as near Alexandria, Louisiana. If this holds, the issuance of flash flood warnings will occur.

Keep in mind, this is not an exact science, and flooding could occur anywhere in east Texas.

Water Rescue Teams Assembling

Several Austin Fire Department trucks along with water rescue boats were observed in Lufkin earlier today. I reached out to Mike Stephens with the Hudson Search and Rescue Team to ask if that is associated with possible water rescues.

Stephens said that Texas Task Force One and the state of Texas have agreements with different fire departments that have trained water rescue teams. These agreements will send these teams to staging areas to stand by if water rescues are needed.

If twelve inches of rain falls over the next day or two, they will definitely be needed.

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