‘Dangerous’ weekend rains might flood region
As thunderstorms began moving over Central Texas on Friday, authorities emphasized that the hazardous weather could bring up to 12 inches of rain and possible flooding throughout the weekend.
“It’s a dangerous event. We will have a lot of rain in a very short period of time in areas that aren’t ready for this kind of rain,” said Nim Kidd, chief of the Texas Division of Emergency Management at the Texas Department of Public Safety.
This weekend’s severe weather is caused by a com-
bination of three factors: a low-pressure system moving over the region behind a cold front from the northwest, moisture from the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and bands of rain coming from the Pacific as a result of Hurricane Patricia, which made landfall in southwestern Mexico early Friday evening.
As a result, the National Weather Service issued a flash flood watch for the Austin, Dallas and Houston metro areas until Sunday morning due to projected heavy rains and flooding. The service said storms are expected to intensify Saturday and could cause rivers and creeks to overflow their banks. Authorities urged drivers to watch for flooded low water crossings and underpasses.
Statewide projections showed some locations in Texas will receive about 9 inches of rain while isolated areas could get 10 to 12 inches, officials said.
The Interstate 35 corridor from Austin to San Antonio will see most of the rainfall between 4 a.m. and 4 p.m. on Saturday, as well as early Sunday morning, the weather service said.
State and local authorities activated emergency centers and were monitoring weather conditions.
In Austin, city officials opened the Dove Springs Recreation Center at 5801 Ainez Drive to assist residents near Onion Creek who feel unsafe in their homes. The area was hit hard during the Halloween floods of 2013.
The storms prompted the cancellation of several events in Austin, including a Formula One practice session on Friday. F1 drivers could race in the rain, but the proximity of lightning was endangering the race marshals and fans, officials said.
The Diocese of Austin’s Walk for Life, Hope and Mercy Rally and the Walk MS: Austin were also canceled due to the severe weather.
In North Texas, crews were working to restore power to about 10,000 Oncor customers. A portion of I-35 near West was closed as drains clogged and 2 feet of water covered the highway.
In the Dallas area, more than 400 incoming and outgoing flights were canceled due to poor weather conditions.
National Weather Service forecaster Lamont Bain said the Dallas-Fort Worth area had received 3 to 5 inches of rain since Thursday morning.
Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport set a record Thursday with 2.58 inches of rain, breaking the Oct. 22 rainfall record of 2.19 inches set in 1908, according to the weather service.
As of 5 p.m., rain gauges monitored by the Lower Colorado River Authority showed that nearly 2 inches of rain fell Friday near Austin-Bergstrom International Airport.