Although some parts of the Rio Grande Valley may not be experiencing heavy rainfall, the potential for heavy rain continues Saturday night through Wednesday, the National Weather Service in Brownsville/Rio Grande Valley reports.
Rainfall amounts from two to four inches could occur throughout the Valley through Wednesday. A flood watch may have to issued, the NWS states. The rain chances in the Valley through Wednesday range between 70% to 80%.
Meteorologists state tropical moisture combined with a stalled and washing out frontal boundary and weak atmospheric disturbances will lead to periods of heavy showers and some thunderstorms. Localized nuisance flooding is likely as well as possible flash flooding.
Even without a strong lifting mechanism, it won’t take much to trigger showers and thunderstorms with rainfall rates of 2-3 inches per hour, the NWS reports. Also, weak steering currents will lead to slow-moving storms.
“With much of the area no longer in drought, and soils at more-or-less “normal” levels of saturation, the potential for repeated bouts of heavy rainfall will pose a Flash Flooding threat, into the middle of next week,” Amber McGinnis, a meteorologist with the NWS said in a email.
Rainfall totals through Monday could reach 2-4 inches pretty much anywhere in the RGV/Deep South Texas with locally higher amounts possible. Rainfall totals through Wednesday night could reach 3 to 6 inches.
McGinnis writes that now through Wednesday “potential of 2-3 inches of rain in an hour across poor drainage locations could result in 2 to 3 feet of water depth with street flooding, minor vehicle damage, and some water into exposed buildings. In addition, hillier terrain can create more rapid onset of flash flooding and fast-flowing arroyos.”
