Tornado Watch issued for Houston as South braces for more severe weather, flooding

HOUSTON – Millions of people across the South are bracing for another powerful storm system that is expected to bring more torrential rain and extreme weather to areas that have already seen their share of extreme weather in recent weeks.

However, the FOX Forecast Center said the overall threat of severe weather this week appears to be lower than the most recent outbreaks of severe weather and deadly tornadoes.

The FOX Forecast Center said there would be a chance of strong to severe thunderstorms developing this week as the system moves east from the Southern Plains into the Carolinas.

But it’s not just bad weather that puts millions of people at risk. Flooding will also be a problem, as torrential rains fall on already extremely saturated and recently flooded areas.

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Heavy rainfall is also leading to increased fears of flooding in parts of east Texas and west Louisiana.

The greatest threat is to communities north of Houston, including Waco, Athens, Conroe and Lufkin.

And if this forecast sounds familiar, it’s because some of these same areas have experienced significant and deadly flooding in recent weeks.

In fact, the FOX Forecast Center said Texas leads the way in flash flood reports so far in 2024 and will likely continue to increase that total this week.

Flood watches have been posted across East Texas, and flood warnings remain in effect after recent rounds of rain and storms caused rivers to overflow their banks.

Severe weather Monday and threat of flooding

Severe weather spread eastward Monday, with about 19.5 million people in the South at risk of level 2 out of 5 on the SPC’s 5-point severe thunderstorm risk scale.

Several major Texas cities are included in this threat zone, such as San Antonio, Austin, Waco, Houston and Corpus Christi.

And for those of you who live in Shreveport and New Orleans, Louisiana, you will also be at risk since the entire state is included in Level 2 risk.

Parts of western Mississippi and southern Arkansas were also included.

Large hail and damaging wind gusts will again be the main threats from these storms, and forecasters can’t rule out the possibility of a tornado either.

The flash flood threat will be less in Texas and parts of Louisiana on Monday, but it will increase along the Gulf Coast.

A Level 3 of 4 flash flood risk includes portions of southern Mississippi, southwest Alabama and west Florida.

This includes Hattiesburg, Mississippi and Mobile, Alabama.

Tuesday’s severe weather and threat of flooding

Although there are still a few days left, the SPC is paying attention to areas of the Southeast, from Mississippi to the Carolinas, for possible development of severe thunderstorms on Tuesday.

Currently, more than 21 million people in the region are at risk of Level 1 in 5. Anyone living or working in these areas should download the free FOX Weather app and turn on notifications to be alerted of any severe weather in the region and check for changes to the forecast.

Much of the Southeast, as well as parts of the Mid-Atlantic, will be exposed to flash flooding Tuesday. But as with severe weather forecasts, the situation is still a few days away and may change a bit.

The threat of flash flooding Tuesday will exist from southeastern Alabama to southern North Carolina.

Wednesday to Friday

The next storm forms Wednesday in Texas and follows the path of the first storm.