Surge of tropical moisture to produce risk of flooding downpours across southern US
Plenty of tropical moisture will lead to a proliferation of downpours and the risk of flooding along the Gulf coast as well as the interior South this weekend.
Portions of the upper Gulf coast have received upward of 10 inches of rain this week. Panama City, Florida, picked up 11 inches of rain since Sunday, August 18.
An area of tropical downpours moved across the western Gulf of Mexico this past week and was located along the coastline near the Texas-Louisiana border on Saturday.
Boating and beach interests should be prepared for quickly changing weather and wave conditions this weekend.
Significant tropical development of this particular feature is not anticipated as it tracks along the coast.
However, there does not have to be a tropical depression or storm for heavy rainfall and flooding to occur.
Along the Louisiana coast and the uppermost part of the Texas coast, there is the potential for a general 4-8 inches of rain through this weekend. This rain is on top of what has fallen through Thursday.
This batch of drenching showers and thunderstorms is forecast to take a northeastward path from Louisiana and Mississippi, to portions of Alabama, Tennessee, Georgia and the Carolinas through Sunday.
"The tropical moisture is running into a cool front located over the interior South which will squeeze out a great deal of rain," according to AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Frank Strait.
Another bull's eye of heavy rain is likely to be centered over parts of the Tennessee Valley and southernmost Appalachians, where another 4 inches of rain or more may fall as this front interacts with the moisture.
Not only may the downpours foul outdoor plans as the last unofficial days of summer wind down, the rain may be heavy enough to cause significant flash flooding in some communities and force some secondary roads or city streets to close for a time.
Major cities at risk for urban flooding at times this weekend include New Orleans; Jackson, Mississippi; Huntsville, Alabama; Pensacola, Florida; Nashville, Tennessee; Atlanta; Greenville, South Carolina; and Asheville, North Carolina.
As if this were not enough, part of this same plume of tropical moisture may become involved with another area of showers and thunderstorms of tropical origin.
The moisture and tropical disturbances involved over the Southeastern states and the Bahamas may give rise to an organized tropical system.
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