Downpours, severe storms to target Deep South early this week

A pair of storm systems will spark locally severe thunderstorms and flooding rain along the Gulf Coast and Deep South through Monday. The severe weather risk includes the potential for isolated tornadoes.

“Coastal areas of Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama will experience very heavy rain and thunderstorms early this week,” AccuWeather Meteorologist Kevin Gilmore said.

After several rounds of rain and thunderstorms over the weekend, another round of heavy rain and gusty thunderstorms will sweep across the region into Monday night.

The first locally severe thunderstorms erupted over parts of central and coastal Texas Sunday night. The severe weather risk will then shift eastward over the Mississippi Delta region on Monday.

In addition, some of the storms that develop on Monday can be locally severe and produce wind gusts to 60 mph. The greatest threat for damaging wind gusts will extend from southeastern Texas to the Louisiana and Mississippi Gulf coasts.

Wind gusts of this magnitude become even more problematic when combined with excessive rainfall amounts.

Trees are uprooted more easily when soils become overly saturated, and downed trees can cause significant property damage and lead to power outages.

"There is the potential for a couple of brief tornadoes to be spawned by the strongest thunderstorms along the Interstate 10 corridor of the upper Gulf coast during Monday into early Monday night," according to AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Alex Sosnowski.

The same areas that got hit with flooding downpours this weekend are in line for an additional round of equally heavy rainfall on Monday. This will only exacerbate ongoing flooding concerns and prevent flooded streams and creeks from receding.

“Cities including New Orleans and Mobile and Dothan, Alabama, will likely see upwards of 3 to 5 inches of rain by the time the last drops fall on Monday evening,” according to Gilmore.

The rainfall will be a welcome sight for residents living in the Tennessee River Valley, northern Alabama and northern Georgia.

Although the heaviest downpours will skirt to the south of these areas, any rainfall will bring much needed relief for those who have suffered from extreme drought since the beginning of the summer, Gilmore added.

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