Widespread excessive rainfall could spell instances of flash flooding across Southern Plains states and parts of the Upper Midwest, forecasters said.
More than 24 million people were under flood watches the morning of June 12 across eastern Texas, northwestern Louisiana, southwestern Arkansas and part of southeastern Oklahoma, the National Weather Service said. Flood watches are issued when conditions are favorable for flooding to notify residents to be prepared. A cluster of more serious flash flood warnings covered parts of Texas, where forecasters said heavy rain was already falling.
Rainfall totals across Arkansas, Louisiana and Texas is likely to range from 2 to 4 inches, with 3 to 5 inches in southeast Texas through Friday night, the National Weather Service said. Between 2 and 7 inches had already fallen by the morning of June 12 in Jackson and Matagorda counties in south-central Texas and an additional 2 to 5 inches is expected, the weather service for the Houston-Galveston area said.
Another area of excessive rainfall is expected in the Upper Midwest, mainly across central Minnesota, where 1 to 3 inches could fall, forecasters said.
Some flood watches in effect in Arkansas will last through the evening of June 14, the weather service said. The next several days will be marked by heavy rainfall from Texas eastward into the Southeast region of the United States, according to AccuWeather.
