Gulf tropical disturbance brings flash flood risk to millions
Some areas could see rainfall rates of 125 mm per hour on Thursday
Millions of people along the U.S. Gulf Coast are under a risk for flash flooding to end the week as a moisture-packed tropical disturbance moves over the region.
Portions of Florida saw more than 150 mm of rain from this system as it moved west across the state.
This week’s risk for excessive rainfall arrives as communities across the U.S. continue to clean up after being slammed by bouts of torrential rainfall and deadly flash flooding.
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This system is a prime example of how a tropical disturbance doesn’t need to form into a named tropical storm in order to pose a significant risk to life and property.
Forecasters with the U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) have been tracking this disturbance since it formed off the southeastern U.S. coast last weekend.
While it’s remained too disorganized to qualify as a named tropical storm, the disturbance’s thunderstorm activity and ample moisture have produced heavy rainfall along its path as it’s moved west along the northern Gulf Coast.
Ample instability and a deep reserve of moisture in the atmosphere could allow some thunderstorms to produce rainfall rates of 125 mm per hour, according to the U.S. Weather Prediction Center (WPC), necessitating flash flood watches for the region.
An infographic from the U.S. National Weather Service outlining the flood threat in Louisiana. (NWS/NOAA)
The greatest risk for excessive rainfall exists over southern Louisiana, including New Orleans, while the potential for flash flooding extends as far east as the cities of Mobile and Pensacola.
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This has been a terrible summer for flash flooding across the United States. The U.S. National Weather Service has issued more than 3,100 flash flood warnings so far this year, which exceeds the number of warnings issued during entire years in some instances.
Flash floods in central Texas killed more than 100 people over the July 4 holiday weekend. Since then, major flooding has unfolded across portions of New Mexico, North Carolina, Iowa, Virginia, and the New York City area.
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