[notice] SIGNIFICANT FLOODING FOLLOWING 3-6 INCHES OF RAIN IN THE LAST 24 HOURS WITH RAIN STILL FALLING CONTINUES TO CAUSE PROBLEMS AROUND HOUSTON, TX AND SURROUNDING AREAS AS WELL AS OTHER AREAS STRETCHING ALL THE WAY TO THE MID-ATLANTIC REGION [/notice]
Motorists pass through rain-covered roads along Veterans Memorial at N. Shepherd near Interstate 45 on Wednesday morning. (Courtesy of Houston Chronicle)
Over the past couple of days we have seen a LOT of rainfall over South Texas including the Houston area where a widespread area has picked up 3-6 inches of rain in the past 24 hours. Flash flooding continues to hamper travel today on roads, rail and by air as those heavy, torrential rains continue through at least the early pm before the boundary begins to shift and the dry air lurking to the north over central Texas takes a dive south choking off the moisture over the region. The boundary responsible for for all the heavy rains will hold in place through the next several days and so rain totals will continue to mount up from Texas to southern Virginia with embedded severe storms which could produce damaging winds, dangerous lightning, gusty winds, hail and enhanced 1-3 inch per hour rains.
Upwards of 12″ of rain may fall for some from Texas to eastern Carolinas next 5 days!
ECMWF surface chart courtesy of AccuWeather Pro
The current ECMWF run shows a continuation of the big rains over the next 3-5 days as the boundary goes nowhere. At least the flooding rains are now south of DC but while more big, flash flood producing rains are in the forecast each of the next 5 days, the core of heaviest rains initially nudges slightly south and then the coverage of rains increase north up through Kentucky, the Virginias and Pennsylvania through the weekend.
By later this weekend and into early next week, rains ease over the East while rains increase over the Rockies.
Death Valley soars to 128°, 100s continue throughout but moisture builds, Intermountain t-storm risk increases
While it’s the big rains grabbing eastern headines, it’s all about the sweltering heat baking the Great Basin these days. Yesterday saw a high soar to an incredible 128° at Death Valley, CA. This was the site and nations highest reading since 2009 when the high peaked at 129°. Widespread 100s cover the entire basin to the west of the divide and extends all the way up into southern BC and Alberta. Humidity is rising and allowing mountain storms to blossom during the warming afternoon hours over Arizona, southern Nevada and southeast California as the core of high pressure is parked directly over Utah, the clockwise flow around this ridge is allowing the moisture to stream west. These are mostly high based thunderstorms but some may push out and across valleys too.
US highs from yesterday (Courtesy of The Weather Channel)
100s continue for Salt Lake, Reno and Boise while it’s back near 114° again in Las Vegas following two straight record breaking days at that value. It’s Salt Lake, Reno and Boise I’m watching as to how many days they top the century mark as well as simply how warm they get. Boise’s all-time record in 110° and it got close at the start of the week with 108°. Reno’s all-time high is 108°, it may top 105° today and or tomorrow. As for Salt Lake City, their all-time highest is 107° set back in 2003. Like Reno, I think they’ll max out at around 105°.
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