AccuWeather meteorologists have issued a warning to parts of the Gulf Coast about the risk of a tropical cyclone and devastating rainfall in the coming days.
Tropical Storm Alex emerged barely five days after the basin's tropical season officially began on June 1, adding to torrential rainfall over Florida.
A tropical system might strike the United States again before the end of the month.
Weather in Texas and Louisiana
MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images
According to AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Adam Douty, conditions for tropical development throughout the northwest region of the Gulf of Mexico seem favorable for the last days of June,
Douty went on to say that low wind shear, or disruptive winds in the atmosphere, along with above-normal sea temperatures will all contribute to tropical development on Tuesday or Wednesday.
If the atmosphere remains suitable for a long enough period of time, wind speeds may develop sufficiently to generate a tropical depression, or maybe a tropical storm.
Residents along the Texas and Louisiana Gulf Coasts should be on high alert for the possibility of a quick-forming system as a result of this tropical danger.
Whether or not a tropical feature forms, heavy rain is forecast to hit most of the Gulf Coast this week.
A surge of tropical moisture from the Gulf of Mexico will collide with a stalled front through the southern United States.
According to Douty, these opposing pressures will squeeze out the moisture in between, resulting in downpours from Texas to the Florida Panhandle.
This trend is expected to last a few days, allowing the same places to get more than one or two rounds of heavy rain.
According to the United States, the rain might benefit drought-stricken areas of Texas and Louisiana's Gulf Coast Drought Watch.
While parts of Texas and Louisiana need rain, it's likely that the rain could fall too rapidly for the parched earth to absorb, resulting in flash floods.
Drivers should be aware of ponding on the roads and limited visibility, which might cause travel delays.
Downpours are also forecast outside of this zone, in sections of Mississippi, Alabama, and the Florida Panhandle, due to the area's recent higher-than-normal rainfall.
The wettest May on record lays the scene for further flooding
The danger does not end in Texas.
Heavy rain will return to Coastal Louisiana, a region that never seems to get a break from the weather, as per CNN.
Between May 16 and 22, a weather reporting station south of Lake Charles, Louisiana, recorded almost 21 inches of precipitation, while Baton Rouge received a whopping 15 inches.
Victoria, Texas, experienced 20.28 inches of rain in May, breaking the previous record of 14.66 inches set in 1993.
With much more rain anticipated for these hard-hit areas, the same places will face the possibility of flooding once more.
The low pressure that is causing the expected soaking is currently over northern Baja California and will travel into northern Mexico today.
By Friday, it will have separated from the normal flow of the atmosphere and will be meandering around Southwest Texas. By then, it will be perfectly positioned to take advantage of the warm ocean waters and feed rain bands into the shore.
South Texas is expected to receive the majority of the early rain through Friday, with one to three inches expected over the region, although rainfall quantities will rise as you approach San Antonio and Austin.
By the end of the weekend, widespread accumulations of two to six inches are probable over Southeast Texas, with localized places reaching double digits, according to CNN Meteorologist Michael Guy
