South Texas suffered in own soaking rain while Florida battened down the hatches and resisted a hit from Tropical Storm Elsa.
Texas Rain
On Wednesday, more than 10 inches of rain poured in Rockport, Texas, approaching the nearly 10 inches of rain that Elsa dumped on a few Florida communities. Rockport received more than a foot of rain in less than 48 hours.
The rain in Texas was caused by an area of low pressure over south-central Texas that was blocked off from the jet stream rather than by a tropical cyclone. When a system is cut off from the rest of the world, weather processes move very slowly.
As a result, excellent weather tends to continue for several days in a given place. Wet weather has been present for several days in this example.
Flood Watch and Warnings
Over the last two days, flash flood watches and warnings have been issued throughout the Texas coast, with places like Rockport experiencing a flash flood emergency. According to the Texas Department of Transportation, rising water caused road closures throughout the Coastal Bend.
One social media user shared a video of Salt Creek on Wednesday near the Texas communities of Tivoli and Refugio, saying the water was nearly over the bridge and flowing fast.
Related Article: State of Emergency Raised as Tropical Storm Elsa Ravages Through Florida
Severe Weather Alert
According to a severe weather alert issued by the city of San Antonio on Tuesday, the region between Leon Valley to Helotes experienced 6 to 7 inches of rain. When combined with the rain that fell on Monday, the area received over 10 inches of rain, resulting in extensive flooding.
According to KENS 5 Eyewitness, torrential rains caused parts of Leon Stream in San Antonio, Texas, to overflow to near-record levels, pouring over the creek banks and displacing neighboring neighbors.
As a result, five residences were inundated, with three of them requiring housing assistance, according to the city. According to the city, a mobile home was also flooded, but the inhabitants did not request housing help.
According to My San Antonio, a renowned San Antonio restaurant, the Comfort Cafe, was also destroyed by the water, prompting another eatery to offer assistance.
Creek Flooding
According to the National Weather Service, the creek near I-35 South crested at 25.79 feet on Tuesday evening, the fourth highest on record. The freeway on the southwest side of San Antonio was also completely closed due to the flooding, although it has now reopened.
The San Antonio River was pushed downstream Wednesday by a flood wave caused by torrential rain in Bexar County Tuesday, making river gauges at Elmendorf and Floresville to near-moderate flood conditions.
Compared to Elsa
While it didn't quite match Elsa's rainfall totals, the Victoria Airport recorded 2.79 inches of rain on Wednesday, shattering the previous day's record of 1.17 inches established in 1991. In Victoria, the average rainfall for July is 4.18 inches. Only the first seven days of the month had seen 5.03 inches of rain, all of which has fallen since July 4.
As long as the cut-off mechanism is in place, the rain will continue till the end of the week. The high moisture content of the air, caused by a flow from the Gulf of Mexico, could result in many inches of rain in a short amount of time. The duration and severity of the rain will increase the risk of floods.
Starting to Diminish
By the time the rain begins to diminish in intensity this weekend, total rainfall may reach 20 inches (510 mm).
This is a huge quantity of rain for a non-tropical storm. Although this low-pressure system is neither a tropical storm or hurricane, low moisture and many days of rain are causing rainfall totals to exceed those of Tropical Storm Elsa on the Gulf Coast.
In Texas, the rain will have stopped mainly by the weekend. Thunderstorms are expected to continue in Mexico, although the rain will be less heavy than it has been previously.
Also Read: Storm Anxiety: How to Handle Extreme Weather Phobias During Hurricane Season
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