Daily downpours to deluge South Texas, northern Mexico
By
Ryan Adamson, AccuWeather meteorologist
Updated Jul 7, 2021 7:34 PM EDT
Much of central and eastern Texas has seen copious amounts of rain over the last several weeks. Rain is likely to fall farther west in the Lone Star State this week, but it may be too much of a good thing.
Downpours will continue to drench south-central Texas, South Texas and northern Mexico daily this week.
This radar image was captured Wednesday morning, July 7, 2021, and shows persistent rain and thunderstorms along the Texas and Louisiana coasts as well as a portion of northeastern Mexico. (AccuWeather)
An area of low pressure over south-central Texas is expected to be cut off from the jet stream. When a system becomes cut off, this causes weather systems to move very slowly. Therefore, areas of good weather tend to last in a particular location for several days. Unfortunately, this also means that wet weather can last for multiple days.
Parts of southwestern Texas are abnormally dry or in a moderate drought, according to the United States Drought Monitor. The rain will help to alleviate these dry conditions. That said, repeated downpours could lead to ponding on roadways and flooding. Texas cities such as San Antonio, Victoria, McAllen, Corpus Christi and Brownsville will be at risk for flooding rainfall. In Mexico, more widespread problems may occur.
"The worst of the impacts on U.S. soil will likely be confined to coastal and far southern Texas," said AccuWeather Meteorologist Mary Gilbert. "Northeastern Mexico will really be the main bullseye for adverse effects," she continued.
Rain will fall in southeastern Texas through much of the week, but the low will be moving into Mexico. This will cause the heaviest rain to fall in cities such as Monterrey.
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"Days of drenching downpours will lead to heightened flooding concerns across the Gulf Coast and much of northern Mexico," stated Gilbert.
Any waterways that may be running low given the dry conditions will be replenished. Eventually though, some could have issues.
"Area rivers and streams can swell to concerning levels as a result of almost a full week straight of rainfall," cautioned Gilbert.
San Antonio residents living along parts of Leon Creek had to evacuate on Tuesday due to rising water levels after heavy rain fell across the county, KENS 5 Eyewitness reported.
The heaviest rain fell on the western and northwestern side of San Antonio, according to AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Carl Erickson. Leon Valley picked up 5.9 inches, but radar estimates just west of Leon Valley, west of Shavano Park and toward Grey Forest recorded around 8 to 9 inches of rain.
The creek at I-35 South officially crested at 25.79 feet by Tuesday evening, the fourth highest on record, according to the National Weather Service. These flood waters also caused a full closure of the interstate on the southwest side of San Antonio.
While flooding can be a problem in the cities and towns in Mexico, the greatest risk will exist in higher elevations.
"Saturated ground in the more mountainous terrain of the region can become unstable with continued downpours, possibly leading to mudslides," warned Gilbert.
Not only is the rain expected to last for multiple days, but the high-moisture content of the air could lead to several inches of rain in a short period of time. Both the duration and intensity of the rain will heighten the flooding risk.
In total, rainfall can reach an AccuWeather Local StormMax™ of 20 inches (510 mm) in Mexico from Tuesday through Friday.
Heavy rain will continue in Mexico and Texas through Thursday. Texas should largely dry out by Friday, but downpours will continue to drench northern Mexico.
The storm system will slowly drift westward through northern Mexico on Saturday. By Sunday, the low pressure is finally expected to largely dissipate, bringing an end to most of the rain and giving any floodwaters a chance to begin to recede.
Keep checking back on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier, Spectrum, FuboTV, Philo, and Verizon Fios.
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News / Severe Weather
Daily downpours to deluge South Texas, northern Mexico
By Ryan Adamson, AccuWeather meteorologist
Updated Jul 7, 2021 7:34 PM EDT
Much of central and eastern Texas has seen copious amounts of rain over the last several weeks. Rain is likely to fall farther west in the Lone Star State this week, but it may be too much of a good thing.
Downpours will continue to drench south-central Texas, South Texas and northern Mexico daily this week.
This radar image was captured Wednesday morning, July 7, 2021, and shows persistent rain and thunderstorms along the Texas and Louisiana coasts as well as a portion of northeastern Mexico. (AccuWeather)
An area of low pressure over south-central Texas is expected to be cut off from the jet stream. When a system becomes cut off, this causes weather systems to move very slowly. Therefore, areas of good weather tend to last in a particular location for several days. Unfortunately, this also means that wet weather can last for multiple days.
Parts of southwestern Texas are abnormally dry or in a moderate drought, according to the United States Drought Monitor. The rain will help to alleviate these dry conditions. That said, repeated downpours could lead to ponding on roadways and flooding. Texas cities such as San Antonio, Victoria, McAllen, Corpus Christi and Brownsville will be at risk for flooding rainfall. In Mexico, more widespread problems may occur.
"The worst of the impacts on U.S. soil will likely be confined to coastal and far southern Texas," said AccuWeather Meteorologist Mary Gilbert. "Northeastern Mexico will really be the main bullseye for adverse effects," she continued.
Rain will fall in southeastern Texas through much of the week, but the low will be moving into Mexico. This will cause the heaviest rain to fall in cities such as Monterrey.
CLICK HERE FOR THE FREE ACCUWEATHER APP
"Days of drenching downpours will lead to heightened flooding concerns across the Gulf Coast and much of northern Mexico," stated Gilbert.
Any waterways that may be running low given the dry conditions will be replenished. Eventually though, some could have issues.
"Area rivers and streams can swell to concerning levels as a result of almost a full week straight of rainfall," cautioned Gilbert.
San Antonio residents living along parts of Leon Creek had to evacuate on Tuesday due to rising water levels after heavy rain fell across the county, KENS 5 Eyewitness reported.
The heaviest rain fell on the western and northwestern side of San Antonio, according to AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Carl Erickson. Leon Valley picked up 5.9 inches, but radar estimates just west of Leon Valley, west of Shavano Park and toward Grey Forest recorded around 8 to 9 inches of rain.
The creek at I-35 South officially crested at 25.79 feet by Tuesday evening, the fourth highest on record, according to the National Weather Service. These flood waters also caused a full closure of the interstate on the southwest side of San Antonio.
While flooding can be a problem in the cities and towns in Mexico, the greatest risk will exist in higher elevations.
"Saturated ground in the more mountainous terrain of the region can become unstable with continued downpours, possibly leading to mudslides," warned Gilbert.
Not only is the rain expected to last for multiple days, but the high-moisture content of the air could lead to several inches of rain in a short period of time. Both the duration and intensity of the rain will heighten the flooding risk.
In total, rainfall can reach an AccuWeather Local StormMax™ of 20 inches (510 mm) in Mexico from Tuesday through Friday.
Heavy rain will continue in Mexico and Texas through Thursday. Texas should largely dry out by Friday, but downpours will continue to drench northern Mexico.
The storm system will slowly drift westward through northern Mexico on Saturday. By Sunday, the low pressure is finally expected to largely dissipate, bringing an end to most of the rain and giving any floodwaters a chance to begin to recede.
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Keep checking back on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier, Spectrum, FuboTV, Philo, and Verizon Fios.
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