Rounds of heavy rain to threaten flooding across Texas at midweek

By Faith Eherts, AccuWeather meteorologist

October 23, 2018, 2:57:06 PM EDT

Despite already having received drought-busting rainfall in excess earlier this month, a large swath of the southern United States is poised to receive another round of potentially dangerous wet weather.

Tropical moisture will surge northward into the southern Plains into midweek, triggering rounds of heavy rain across much of Arizona and New Mexico, along with portions of Colorado.

A large fraction of this area is experiencing severe to exceptional drought, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. While this rainfall will help to alleviate this, it can also lead to dangerous flash flooding, mudslides, washouts and road closures.

By Wednesday, the area of heaviest rain is expected to shift into Texas.

"Many areas in Texas have already experienced their wettest autumn on record, and streams and rivers are still experiencing moderate to major flooding across a good portion of the state," said AccuWeather Meteorologist Kyle Elliott. "Dallas has received nearly 500 percent of their normal rainfall since Sept. 1, picking up over 2 feet of rain in less than 50 days."

Most places will receive a general 1-3 inches of rain through Wednesday night. However, central and eastern portions of the state, including San Antonio, Austin and College Station, could be targeted by another 6 inches of rain, according to Elliott.

Download the free AccuWeather app for the latest forecast and emergency alerts for your area.

Travel delays are likely due to both low visibility conditions and ponding or flooding on roadways. Airline delays at Dallas- and Houston-area airports may have ripple effects throughout the country.

RELATED: 
Why climate change isn’t being heavily discussed by Republicans, Democrats ahead of next month’s midterm elections 
How to safely shelter in place if you ran out of time to evacuate before severe weather strikes 
Southern Texas Interactive Radar

Motorists should drive slowly in these conditions to decrease the chances of getting in an accident or hydroplaning. Flooded or otherwise closed roadways should be avoided.

Anyone living in areas prone to flooding should prepare for such conditions and even potential evacuations at midweek.

"The downpours will expand eastward along the central Gulf Coast by Wednesday and Thursday, and eventually target areas of the Florida Panhandle and Georgia that were ravaged by powerful Hurricane Michael," Elliott warned.