Texas and parts of the Gulf Coast are facing a major flood threat this week from a multi-day heavy rainfall event supercharged by tropical moisture that is reaching record levels for June. Flood watches have been issued for more than 20 million people from central Texas to central Mississippi.

Affected Areas

Brownsville, San Antonio, and Houston, Texas; Lake Charles, Louisiana; and Jackson, Mississippi, are among the cities that could see significant to life-threatening flash floods. Some water rescues have already been reported in parts of central and southern Texas.

The Weather Prediction Center has issued a Level 3 out of 4 threat of flash flooding for each day from Monday to Thursday in parts of Texas, Louisiana, and Mississippi. Rainfall totals this week across these areas could be as much as 5 to 10 inches, with locally higher amounts possible.

Response Efforts

Responders are searching for the driver of a vehicle that was swept away by floodwater early Monday morning in Bandera County, Texas. Crews rescued another person Monday morning who was stranded in their vehicle at a low water crossing.

In Waco, Texas, multiple vehicles were stranded in floodwater on parts of Interstate 35 on Sunday night, forcing rescues. The Texas Game Wardens had completed a handful of water rescues across central Texas as of Monday morning.

Original reporting: KEYT (Ventura/Santa Barbara) — read the source article.