Soaking storms to shift away from waterlogged south-central US
By
Mary Gilbert, AccuWeather meteorologist
Updated Jun 9, 2021 4:35 PM EDT
After repeated rounds of heavy rainfall pounded the South Central states the past few weeks, the bull's-eye for potentially troublesome precipitation will shift eastward. AccuWeather forecasters say this will bring relief to waterlogged areas of Texas, Louisiana and Oklahoma, but it will increase the risk of flooding rainfall in other regions.
“Idle low pressure that has sat over the lower Mississippi River Valley since Monday will continue to produce rounds of rain and thunderstorms throughout the Southeast, Tennessee and Ohio valleys for the majority of the week ahead,” AccuWeather Meteorologist Adam Sadvary said.
While portions of the South Central states have received close to two feet of rainfall since the start of May, the Southeast and northward into the Ohio Valley have largely dodged excessive rainfall worries.
Since May 1, many locations from Birmingham, Alabama, to Atlanta to Columbus, Ohio, have recorded rainfall amounts near or slightly above normal. In contrast, Lake Charles, Louisiana, has recorded a whopping 23.97 inches of rainfall since May 1 -- 364 percent above normal for the period.
The hardest-hit areas of Texas, Louisiana and Oklahoma will be largely free from any downpours this week. This will give the weather-weary region time to clean up after recent flooding and allow swollen rivers a chance to regulate.
Through midweek, the greatest risk for frequent downpours will settle over an area that includes portions of the Mississippi, Tennessee and Ohio valleys.
On Tuesday, a flash flood emergency was declared for parts of southeastern Arkansas by the National Weather Service in Little Rock. Heavy thunderstorms produced life-threatening flash flooding, and some locations had received anywhere from 10-15 inches of rain, the NWS said. Most of the rain fell during a six- to eight-hour period early Tuesday.
The National Weather Service Weather Prediction Center upgraded its outlook for excessive rainfall to a "high risk" across portions of Arkansas and Mississippi on Tuesday and Tuesday night.
While most of the storms that develop across these valleys through midweek will not produce rainfall at excessive rates, it will be important for residents to monitor for more robust storms.
"Thunderstorms over this portion of the Mississippi, Ohio and Tennessee valleys have the potential to bring not only flash flooding, but also brief powerful wind gusts and even an isolated tornado," AccuWeather Meteorologist Brett Rossio stated.
With the downpours seen on Tuesday, Rohwer, Arkansas, an unincorporated community in Desha County in the southeastern portion of the state, recorded 9.25 inches of rainfall. This made for the wettest day in June in the state since 1974 and the overall 4th highest daily rain total during the month at any recording station in the state, according to the National Weather Service.
The risk of heavy, gusty and locally severe storms will not be limited to the swath from Louisiana to Indiana in the pattern, however.
“Due to the increased humidity and excess moisture in the air, any thunderstorm (from the Mississippi Valley to the Atlantic coast) that does ignite can be capable of producing heavy downpours, potentially leading to localized flash flooding," Sadvary added.
By Thursday, the core of stormy weather is set to shift northward, away from the Gulf Coast entirely. However, portions of the Tennessee and Ohio valleys will remain at risk for locally heavy storms through the end of the week.
With an abundance of moisture available in the upper levels of the atmosphere for storms to tap into, very heavy rainfall cannot be ruled out at any point this week.
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While not every area outlined will receive enough rain to cause flooding issues, AccuWeather forecasters say it is difficult to pinpoint exactly where major downpours could develop in a pattern like this. Even for locations only separated by a few miles, rainfall rates can vary from the lightest sprinkles to gushing rainfall.
This scenario played out on Monday when extremely heavy rain became a reality for a small portion of eastern Oklahoma. A band of slow-moving thunderstorms developed about 40 miles south of Tulsa, Oklahoma, and dumped over a foot of rainfall in just 12 hours.
Okmulgee, Oklahoma, received a whopping of 13.46 inches of rain on Monday, 4.62 inches of which fell in just a single hour. Similarly, Council Hill, Oklahoma, received a total of 13.69 inches of rain for the day, 4.52 inches of which fell in just one hour.
The National Weather Service office in Tulsa, Oklahoma, said on Twitter Monday that this type of rainfall event has approximately a 0.1 percent chance of occurrence at each of the affected locations per year.
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
Soaking storms to shift away from waterlogged south-central US
By Mary Gilbert, AccuWeather meteorologist
Updated Jun 9, 2021 4:35 PM EDT
After repeated rounds of heavy rainfall pounded the South Central states the past few weeks, the bull's-eye for potentially troublesome precipitation will shift eastward. AccuWeather forecasters say this will bring relief to waterlogged areas of Texas, Louisiana and Oklahoma, but it will increase the risk of flooding rainfall in other regions.
“Idle low pressure that has sat over the lower Mississippi River Valley since Monday will continue to produce rounds of rain and thunderstorms throughout the Southeast, Tennessee and Ohio valleys for the majority of the week ahead,” AccuWeather Meteorologist Adam Sadvary said.
While portions of the South Central states have received close to two feet of rainfall since the start of May, the Southeast and northward into the Ohio Valley have largely dodged excessive rainfall worries.
Since May 1, many locations from Birmingham, Alabama, to Atlanta to Columbus, Ohio, have recorded rainfall amounts near or slightly above normal. In contrast, Lake Charles, Louisiana, has recorded a whopping 23.97 inches of rainfall since May 1 -- 364 percent above normal for the period.
The hardest-hit areas of Texas, Louisiana and Oklahoma will be largely free from any downpours this week. This will give the weather-weary region time to clean up after recent flooding and allow swollen rivers a chance to regulate.
Through midweek, the greatest risk for frequent downpours will settle over an area that includes portions of the Mississippi, Tennessee and Ohio valleys.
On Tuesday, a flash flood emergency was declared for parts of southeastern Arkansas by the National Weather Service in Little Rock. Heavy thunderstorms produced life-threatening flash flooding, and some locations had received anywhere from 10-15 inches of rain, the NWS said. Most of the rain fell during a six- to eight-hour period early Tuesday.
The National Weather Service Weather Prediction Center upgraded its outlook for excessive rainfall to a "high risk" across portions of Arkansas and Mississippi on Tuesday and Tuesday night.
While most of the storms that develop across these valleys through midweek will not produce rainfall at excessive rates, it will be important for residents to monitor for more robust storms.
"Thunderstorms over this portion of the Mississippi, Ohio and Tennessee valleys have the potential to bring not only flash flooding, but also brief powerful wind gusts and even an isolated tornado," AccuWeather Meteorologist Brett Rossio stated.
With the downpours seen on Tuesday, Rohwer, Arkansas, an unincorporated community in Desha County in the southeastern portion of the state, recorded 9.25 inches of rainfall. This made for the wettest day in June in the state since 1974 and the overall 4th highest daily rain total during the month at any recording station in the state, according to the National Weather Service.
The risk of heavy, gusty and locally severe storms will not be limited to the swath from Louisiana to Indiana in the pattern, however.
“Due to the increased humidity and excess moisture in the air, any thunderstorm (from the Mississippi Valley to the Atlantic coast) that does ignite can be capable of producing heavy downpours, potentially leading to localized flash flooding," Sadvary added.
By Thursday, the core of stormy weather is set to shift northward, away from the Gulf Coast entirely. However, portions of the Tennessee and Ohio valleys will remain at risk for locally heavy storms through the end of the week.
With an abundance of moisture available in the upper levels of the atmosphere for storms to tap into, very heavy rainfall cannot be ruled out at any point this week.
CLICK HERE FOR THE FREE ACCUWEATHER APP
While not every area outlined will receive enough rain to cause flooding issues, AccuWeather forecasters say it is difficult to pinpoint exactly where major downpours could develop in a pattern like this. Even for locations only separated by a few miles, rainfall rates can vary from the lightest sprinkles to gushing rainfall.
This scenario played out on Monday when extremely heavy rain became a reality for a small portion of eastern Oklahoma. A band of slow-moving thunderstorms developed about 40 miles south of Tulsa, Oklahoma, and dumped over a foot of rainfall in just 12 hours.
Okmulgee, Oklahoma, received a whopping of 13.46 inches of rain on Monday, 4.62 inches of which fell in just a single hour. Similarly, Council Hill, Oklahoma, received a total of 13.69 inches of rain for the day, 4.52 inches of which fell in just one hour.
The National Weather Service office in Tulsa, Oklahoma, said on Twitter Monday that this type of rainfall event has approximately a 0.1 percent chance of occurrence at each of the affected locations per year.
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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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