Flash-Flood Hotspots Persist as Slow Storms Target the Gulf Coast and South Georgia

Overview

• Storm clusters over central and east Texas, which fired Monday, produced 2+ inch-per-hour downpours and triggered isolated flash flooding west of College Station.
• By late Monday, a shortwave disturbance and a slow front focused heavy rain from southern Louisiana into southern Mississippi and southwestern Alabama with hourly rates near 2 to 3 inches and local 3 to 5 inch totals.
• Through Monday night, forecasters tracked pockets of heavy rain along the central and east-central Gulf Coast as weak steering winds kept storms nearly stationary and increased runoff risk.
• Late Tuesday into early Wednesday, a nearly still band over south-central Georgia near Valdosta and Thomasville delivered 1 to 2.5 inches per hour with local flooding already likely in a few spots and a few more inches possible.
• Meteorologists cite very high atmospheric moisture of about 1.6 to 2.0 inches of precipitable water, weak low-level winds that slow storm motion, and saturated soils from recent 300 to 600 percent-of-normal rainfall, while the severe wind and hail risk stays isolated with watches generally not expected.