Heavy rain and thunderstorms will continue across East Texas and parts of Southeast Texas on Thursday, which could lead to more flash flooding across the region. Widespread flooding, especially on roads, has already been reported since late Tuesday from Texas to parts of the lower Mississippi Valley, Weather.com said.
Some of those thunderstorms will likely become severe Thursday across the Gulf states and Southeast, where tornadoes are also possible, the Storm Prediction Center said.
Meteorologists said widespread, scattered heavy rain would be the main threat from the system on Thursday and over the next few days. “Heavy rain and thunderstorms are expected to continue across the southern part of the country through the weekend,” AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Tyler Ruiz said.
Possible “life-threatening” flooding
Heavy rain and thunderstorms Wednesday night led to flash flooding in several areas of the central Gulf Coast states, where life-threatening flooding remained possible Thursday.
Flood warnings went into effect for parts of Tennessee that were scheduled to go up Thursday afternoon. The weather service warned that some areas of Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina could see up to four inches of rain over the next five days.
Meanwhile, the western United States faces widespread low-elevation rain and mountain snow through Thursday thanks to a cold front.
Storms by numbers
- More than six inches of rain was reported over a 24-hour period in Hazelhurst, Mississippi, flooding roads and businesses.
- In Mandeville, Louisiana, water levels of 4.5 to 6.5 inches were reported, causing “significant flooding” of roads.
- In the Houston area, major flooding is expected this week on the Navidad River, the West Branch of the San Jacinto River and the Trinity River, where waters could reach about two feet of the September 2017 record.
A dense fog warning covers most of the Midwest and South
Weather conditions caused by heavy fog that fell over the Midwest on Wednesday will continue as some areas brace for freezing rain through Thursday.
More than 90 million people were under a dense fog warning Thursday morning, with NWS advisories extending from central Pennsylvania to North Dakota and as far south as New Orleans.
Dense fog can reduce visibility to a quarter mile or less, which can hinder travel and increase driving risks.
“Exercise caution when on the road,” the weather service warned.
Heavy rain is likely in Mississippi
A large swath of Mississippi and part of Louisiana could see up to four inches of additional rain with flash flooding possible as wet weather continues into Thursday.
The National Weather Service warned of the potential for flash flooding caused by “heavy rain” across central Mississippi through Thursday afternoon.
Louisiana weather map
US weather monitoring and warnings
National weather radar
Contributor: Sibylle Mayes Osterman
