Heightened Flooding Risk Through Next Week and Beyond for Parts of South

The flooding threat across the southern Plains and the south-central U.S. will persist into the middle of May at the hands of a continual surge of moisture for the region. Here is a look at what you should prepare for in the days ahead in this part of the U.S.

Train of Moisture to Linger Across the South-Central U.S.

The rain will simply not stop across some parts of the south-central U.S. and beyond. The zone across Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, and Arkansas has been hit particularly hard by relentless rain in recent weeks. The long-range forecast models are signaling that this surge of moisture will continue into the middle of May, keeping the threat of flooding in the picture.

A storm coming together over the Desert Southwest is forecast to move to the east and into the southern Plains over the next few days. The result will be a heightened risk of flash flooding in areas located along small streams and in urban corridors. Several rivers in the region may also be dealing with flooding concerns.

The latest wave of moisture is going to set up over the same general region that was subject to flooding downpours this past week. This includes parts of central, southern, and northeastern Texas, Oklahoma, and the Mississippi Delta region. The line of moisture is forecast to creep as far east as Alabama and Georgia to bring the week to a close.

While the bulk of the south-central U.S. enjoyed a respite from the rain over the weekend, that will all change in the new work week. Forecasters are predicting that rain showers and thunderstorms will ignite over parts of New Mexico, southeastern Colorado, and western edges of Texas, Oklahoma, and Kansas beginning Sunday and lingering into Monday. This is a part of the country that has been dealing with ongoing drought issues. The dry soil will have a difficult time absorbing the surge of moisture, creating the risk of flash flooding.

The storm will push to the east at the start of the week, bringing the impacts to central Texas and Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Louisiana. Some communities could experience drenching rainfall for several days.

The latest forecast models are predicting widespread rainfall amounts of 4 to 8 inches. Localized areas could measure nearly a foot of rain out of this weather pattern. This would be the equivalent of one to two months' of rainfall this time of the year.

The rain will pick up again late Monday in places like Oklahoma City. This part of central Oklahoma will see rainfall of about an inch on Tuesday alone. Severe thunderstorms are also possible at this time. The chance of rain will linger into Wednesday morning with storms firing up again in the afternoon hours. The cloud cover will keep the temperatures in check in Oklahoma City with highs topping out at 60 degrees on Tuesday before inching up into the upper 60s on Wednesday.