Midweek storm could bring flood risk to South Central states
November is beginning on a chillier note across parts of the Central U.S., but forecasters say an emerging storm system is expected to unload heavy rain in places such as Houston, Austin and Little Rock.
By
Jessica Storm, AccuWeather Meteorologist
Updated Nov 2, 2021 3:13 PM EDT
A storm that is expected to form across the southern Plains this week could bring heavy rain and trigger localized flash flooding in several major cities across the parts of the south-central United States.
The storm will follow the first widespread shot of cool air in the eastern half of the United States. The core of this cold air will be across the mid-Mississippi and Tennessee valleys, where temperatures are expected to be about 5 to 15 degrees Fahrenheit below normal.
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In Oklahoma City, typically in the 60s during early November, high temperatures will reach only the upper 40s on Tuesday. Similarly, temperatures will likely stay under 60 F on Wednesday and Thursday in Dallas, where average temperatures are around or over 70 this time of year.
The jet stream, an invisible director of the atmosphere, is responsible for the chillier air, and it will also help dictate where the storm takes shape this week.
The jet stream will dip well to the south through the southern Plains and into the Southeast to start November, according to AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Matt Rinde. This is also where a front will set up.
A storm is anticipated to develop in the southern Plains along the front. AccuWeather forecasters expect the storm to organize during Tuesday night into Wednesday around central Texas. Areas from Lubbock and Abilene, Texas, to Tulsa, Oklahoma, and Little Rock, Arkansas, can endure heavy rain, thunderstorms and localized flash flooding overnight.
At the northwestern extent of the storm in the south-central U.S., some snow could mix in with the rain Tuesday night into Wednesday. This will occur mainly across western Kansas and the Oklahoma Panhandle.
As the storm moves to the east on Wednesday, the dip in the jet stream will continue to nudge precipitation southward as well, bringing the heaviest rain to places like Houston and Austin, Texas, and Shreveport, Louisiana.
"Low pressure will continue to move eastward into the Gulf Coast area on Thursday," said Rinde.
Steady rain is even expected to extend northward into the Tennessee Valley, the southern Appalachians and the mid-Atlantic, dousing cities such as New Orleans, Atlanta and Nashville.
"The Gulf of Mexico will still be a repository of abundant moisture for the region, and this system will allow for widespread rain and thunderstorms Wednesday into Thursday from west to east, especially along the Gulf Coast," Rinde continued, emphasizing that some of this rainfall will be heavy enough to cause localized flooding.
Forecasters say motorists should exercise caution when on the roads this week as heavy rain can drastically reduce visibility levels as well as cause flooding on roadways.
For the latest weather news check back on AccuWeather.com. Watch the AccuWeather Network on DIRECTV, Frontier, Spectrum, fuboTV, Philo, and Verizon Fios. AccuWeather Now is now available on your preferred streaming platform.
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News / Severe Weather
Midweek storm could bring flood risk to South Central states
November is beginning on a chillier note across parts of the Central U.S., but forecasters say an emerging storm system is expected to unload heavy rain in places such as Houston, Austin and Little Rock.
By Jessica Storm, AccuWeather Meteorologist
Updated Nov 2, 2021 3:13 PM EDT
A storm that is expected to form across the southern Plains this week could bring heavy rain and trigger localized flash flooding in several major cities across the parts of the south-central United States.
The storm will follow the first widespread shot of cool air in the eastern half of the United States. The core of this cold air will be across the mid-Mississippi and Tennessee valleys, where temperatures are expected to be about 5 to 15 degrees Fahrenheit below normal.
CLICK HERE FOR THE FREE ACCUWEATHER APP
In Oklahoma City, typically in the 60s during early November, high temperatures will reach only the upper 40s on Tuesday. Similarly, temperatures will likely stay under 60 F on Wednesday and Thursday in Dallas, where average temperatures are around or over 70 this time of year.
The jet stream, an invisible director of the atmosphere, is responsible for the chillier air, and it will also help dictate where the storm takes shape this week.
The jet stream will dip well to the south through the southern Plains and into the Southeast to start November, according to AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Matt Rinde. This is also where a front will set up.
A storm is anticipated to develop in the southern Plains along the front. AccuWeather forecasters expect the storm to organize during Tuesday night into Wednesday around central Texas. Areas from Lubbock and Abilene, Texas, to Tulsa, Oklahoma, and Little Rock, Arkansas, can endure heavy rain, thunderstorms and localized flash flooding overnight.
At the northwestern extent of the storm in the south-central U.S., some snow could mix in with the rain Tuesday night into Wednesday. This will occur mainly across western Kansas and the Oklahoma Panhandle.
As the storm moves to the east on Wednesday, the dip in the jet stream will continue to nudge precipitation southward as well, bringing the heaviest rain to places like Houston and Austin, Texas, and Shreveport, Louisiana.
"Low pressure will continue to move eastward into the Gulf Coast area on Thursday," said Rinde.
Steady rain is even expected to extend northward into the Tennessee Valley, the southern Appalachians and the mid-Atlantic, dousing cities such as New Orleans, Atlanta and Nashville.
"The Gulf of Mexico will still be a repository of abundant moisture for the region, and this system will allow for widespread rain and thunderstorms Wednesday into Thursday from west to east, especially along the Gulf Coast," Rinde continued, emphasizing that some of this rainfall will be heavy enough to cause localized flooding.
Forecasters say motorists should exercise caution when on the roads this week as heavy rain can drastically reduce visibility levels as well as cause flooding on roadways.
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For the latest weather news check back on AccuWeather.com. Watch the AccuWeather Network on DIRECTV, Frontier, Spectrum, fuboTV, Philo, and Verizon Fios. AccuWeather Now is now available on your preferred streaming platform.
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