TYLER, Texas — As Imelda continues to move up from the south, heavy rain and storms will become likely across parts of East Texas, in particular Deep East Texas. Flooding may be a concern for some areas, as periods of heavy and prolonged rainfall move through. Parts of East Texas could see upwards of 6 inches between now and the weekend with some isolated areas seeing higher amounts.
As a result a Flash Flood Watch will be going in place for:
- Sabine County
- Nacogdoches County
- Shelby County
- Angelina County
- San Augustine County
- Cherokee County
- Harrison County
- Rusk County
- Smith County
- Gregg County
- Marion County
- Panola County
These watches will be in effect until 7 a.m. Friday morning.
RELATED: Several counties under flash flood watch, TxDOT monitoring low roads in Deep East Texas
Let's take a closer look at the forecast.
Tonight:
Rain and storm chances stick around, and even increase, as we head into tonight around East Texas. Expect a rain chance around 60% in Tyler/Longview, rising to 80% around Deep East Texas. Rain chances will continue to stay lower in the I-30 corridor. Skies will be mostly cloudy with temps in the low 70s.
Flooding will be a concern in Deep East Texas tonight with multiple counties expected to be under a Flash Flood Watch into Friday morning.
Remember, never drive through flooded roadways. It is impossible to judge the depth of the water just by looking at it, especially at night. Please use caution when driving through areas known to suffer from flooding conditions during heavy rains.
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Thursday & Friday:
Rainfall chances really jump up and temps drop as we head into Thursday and Friday. Showers and storms look likely both days, with a 80%-90% chance for rain on Thursday and a 80% chance for rain on Friday. There will be a slight rainfall bias toward Deep East Texas, but rain looks possible over the entire region on both days.
Some areas could pick up several inches, and flooding rainfall could be a possibility. Almost all of East Texas has a moderate risk for flash flooding on Thursday. When it comes to rainfall totals, the heaviest will be in Deep East Texas, with almost all models suggesting at least 4 to 6 inches. Some areas could see higher totals, and some model outliers have even gone as high as a foot or more between now and Saturday.
Up around Tyler and Longview these rainfall totals should be lower, with 1 to 3 inches looking like a more realistic total. However, a few models are suggesting the heavier bands could work their way further to the north, and if they do, 3 to 6 inches in our region could become a possibility. Again, if these rains come from particularly slow moving heavy cells, flash flooding could be a concern.
Rainfall should be less in our northern counties, but around 1 to 2 inches of rainfall looks likely over the next several days.
This rainfall will be welcome news for our burn bans and drought conditions, but will sadly come as we head out for those football games Friday night and for the start of the East Texas State Fair. Make sure you have your rain gear ready to go! If there is some good news, rain chances should be dropping as we head into Friday night and early Saturday, so it may not be a washout for everyone around East Texas.
RELATED: Will anticipated rain pose any threat to the opening weekend of the ETX State Fair?
Temps during this period will drop a good bit thanks to the rainfall. Expect highs to be in the mid to low 80s for Thursday and Friday.
The Weekend & Early Next Week:
As you look to head out this weekend rain chances and cooler temps will stick around the forecast. Expect partly cloudy to mostly cloudy skies around for Saturday, with partly cloudy skies on Sunday. Rain chances will be around 30% Saturday, dropping to 20% for Sunday. Temps will stay around the upper 80s for the weekend as well.
Small chances for rain will make their way from the weekend and into Monday and Tuesday next week. We are still expecting a 20% chance for a few showers or a storm, but skies will return to mostly sunny to partly cloudy conditions. Temps will be back around 90 for both days.
Some heavy rain looks to be in our future East Texas. Make sure you are staying safe and staying aware of changing weather conditions!
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