NEW ORLEANS – A rainy weather pattern spreads across the Gulf Coast states in the South in 2024, with heavy rain and possible flash flooding expected in Texas early in the week, and by midweek the central It could reach as far as Florida.
A parade of low pressure systems marching across the United States will bring active weather ranging from rain to snow across the country.
In the south, a system moving through the Gulf states will bring heavy rain to drought-stricken areas that need moisture.
However, when large amounts of rain fall in a short period of time, the dry soil becomes difficult to absorb and flash flooding can occur.
For the first week of the new year, the FOX Prediction Center is targeting the start of rain across South Texas as an area of low pressure begins to form.
From Monday through Wednesday, this weather setup will bring heavy rain from Houston, Texas to Pensacola, Florida.
Texas cities such as Houston and Galveston are expected to experience a rainy day Tuesday.
Up to 1 inch of rain is expected to fall in South Texas, with up to 2 inches expected in isolated areas, including near Corpus Christi.
On Wednesday, the main flooding concerns will be in Louisiana.
“The energy from the West Coast that low is flowing into the northern Gulf of Mexico and it kind of takes on a second life, and this warm front flows along the I-10 corridor and picks up the showers from there. “It's going to shake things up from Lake Charles to New Orleans and then through Birmingham, Alabama,” said FOX Weather meteorologist Jane Minnaar.
By Wednesday, the low pressure system will continue to move east and be located off the coast of New Orleans, Louisiana by early morning. This change will extend the threat of flash flooding to a wider area from Lake Charles, Louisiana, to Tampa, Florida.
Heavy rain is expected in Shreveport and Baton Rouge, Alexandria, Louisiana, and Gulfport, Mississippi, on Wednesday, with totals expected to be 1 to 2 inches.
“As we get into the middle of the week, the central Gulf Coast will be really flooded,” Minar said.
Moisture is surging in several regions facing drought, with the threat of flash flooding possible from southwest Louisiana to southwest Florida into Thursday.
The South is experiencing varying degrees of drought, including exceptional drought in parts of Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama. These areas, including New Orleans, need moisture. In New Orleans, precipitation totals are 16 inches below normal for this time of year.
“Unfortunately, it will take many storms, not just one, to break the drought that is plaguing this region,” Minar said.
