Sign up for TPR Today, Texas Public Radio's newsletter that brings our top stories to your inbox each morning.
A lot of Texas will see rain and flooding between Wednesday and Friday as the remnants of Hurricane Polo interacts with a cold front pushing east across the state, the National Weather Service reports.
Flash flood watches are in effect for much of Texas this week, but it's areas along and west of I-35, from south of the Red River to the Rio Grande River on the border with Mexico, that the National Weather Service is keeping a sharp eye on.
Not only could the cold front stall to produce more rain, but so could the tropical-infused showers it is packing as they train repeatedly over the same area.
"Generally, that area west of and including the I-35 corridor, from Wednesday into Friday, is going to see a giant swath of two to six inches worth of rain fall," said Melissa Beat, an emergency response specialist and meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Fort Worth. "However, within the swath, were going to expect pockets, or little bullseyes as we call them, of more rainfall. Some of those bullseyes could get upwards of 10 to 20 inches."
She said areas along a line from Wichita Falls to San Angelo to Del Rio will be among the first to see the heavy rain on Wednesday. By Thursday, the biggest downpours will move close to the I-35 corridor, one of the busiest freeways in Texas.
Beat said motorists and residents near rivers will especially want to stay weather-aware this week as the intermittent rains start to add up over three or four days.
"Texans, west of and including the I-35 corridor, should be paying attention to their weather forecast, listening for any kind of information from local officials because there could become flooding over the next few days, they need to be prepared for," she said.
Flooded roadways and slick commutes to work and school are among the biggest dangers this week, Beat said. Forecasters have said most flood deaths involve motorists attempting to cross a flooded low water crossing, especially at night. Just one foot of swift moving water is enough to sweep an average sized vehicle off a low water crossing. "Turn around, don't drown," is a frequent motto of the weather service.
Parts of far West Texas and far East Texas were not expected to see as much heavy rain this week. The Houston forecast called for two to four inches of rain by this weekend. Some rain was already reported in the Panhandle on Tuesday. The forecast for Amarillo called for up to two inches of rain by Tuesday night.
Forecasters said even though much of Texas is extremely dry or in drought conditions, heavy rains lasting an hour or two can quickly lead to flooding, especially in an area running east of the Hill Country, from San Antonio to Austin, and dubbed "flash flood alley."
