Heightened flood risk to target south-central US next week

By Renee Duff, AccuWeather meteorologist

Repeating downpours will put the south-central United States at risk for flash flooding and travel disruptions as April ends and May begins.

Heavy to locally severe thunderstorms will first rumble through parts of the region this weekend before the heightened flood threat arises next Tuesday through Wednesday.

AccuWeather meteorologists are honing in on a corridor from south-central Texas to eastern Kansas, Missouri and western Illinois to be at greatest risk of heavy rainfall that can put some communities underwater.

Ample moisture surging northward from the Gulf of Mexico will link up with a slow-moving storm system to produce rounds of downpours.

Heavy rain and thunderstorms will repeat and could remain relatively stationary over areas that have recently received excessive amounts of rainfall, according to AccuWeather Storm Warning Meteorologist Brian Koochel.

Month-to-date, Austin, Dallas and Tyler, Texas, have received 2-3.5 times their normal rainfall for all of April. Many rivers in eastern Texas remain above flood stage as a result.

"This additional round of persistent, heavy rain will quickly raise concerns for flooding," Koochel said.

Rainfall totals could approach or exceed 4 inches with an AccuWeather Local StormMax™ of 8 inches in part of the region. This could include the Interstate-35 corridor from San Antonio to the Dallas-Forth Worth Metroplex.

Other cities at risk for heavy rainfall totals and flooding include Abilene and San Angelo, Texas; Oklahoma City and Tulsa, Oklahoma; Fort Smith, Arkansas; and Kansas City, Springfield and St. Louis, Missouri.

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Poor driving conditions that will include reduced visibility and a heightened risk of hydroplaning while traveling at highway speeds will threaten sections of interstates 20, 30, 35, 40, 44 and 70.

Road closures will be possible due to high water.

Motorists are urged to turn around and find a safer alternate route if floodwaters are encountered.

Last Tuesday, three people were killed after they drove their vehicle through floodwaters and were swept away south of Dublin, Texas.

Even in the absence of flooding, the downpours will cause disruptions for those with outdoor plans.

Koochel is concerned that in addition to the dangers of flooding, severe thunderstorms can also inflict damage in some communities.

The severe weather risk is likely to be greatest over Oklahoma and Texas with damaging winds, hail and isolated tornadoes all possibilities.

Download the free AccuWeather app to see when rain will return to your area and receive the latest flood and severe weather alerts as they are issued. Keep checking back for updates on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier and Verizon Fios.