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Flood risk keeps trucking through the South

Additional 3 possible from Texas to Arkansas

(Photo: Jim Allen/FreightWaves)

Truckers face another day of delays as heavy rain persists in areas from Texas to the Great Lakes.

A strong cold front and the remnants of Hurricane Pamela will continue to pull abundant moisture from the Gulf of Mexico, producing torrential downpours as well as more potential flash flooding and potential road closures.

The heaviest rain will impact drivers in portions of southern Texas and northwestern Arkansas, which received record daily rainfall Wednesday — 4.56 inches in Fort Smith, Arkansas, and 2.64 inches in San Antonio. Because the ground is saturated, additional rainfall of 1 to 3 inches will make these areas prone to flash flooding, which already occurred near San Antonio early Thursday morning. The National Weather Service still has flash flood watches posted for these areas.

Downpours could also hit places like St. Louis, Chicago and Indianapolis later Thursday into Friday, leading to localized flash flooding. Severe storms are possible Friday, with large hail, destructive winds and isolated tornadoes from the Missouri Bootheel and western Tennessee to Louisville, Kentucky, and Cincinnati.


Major lanes of concern

• Interstate 35 from San Antonio to Austin.
• Interstate 10 from San Antonio to Columbus, Texas.
• Interstate 37 from San Antonio to Campbellton, Texas.
• Interstate 40 from Fort Smith to Russellville, Arkansas.

Other notable weather

Several more inches of snow could pile up Thursday in western portions of Wyoming and Colorado, with lighter amounts in the northern Rockies.

Click here for more FreightWaves articles by Nick Austin.

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Nick Austin

Nick is a meteorologist with 20 years of forecasting and broadcasting experience. He was nominated for a Midsouth Emmy for his coverage during a 2008 western Tennessee tornado outbreak. He received his Bachelor of Science in Meteorology from Florida State University, as well as a Bachelor of Science in Management from the Georgia Tech. Nick is a member of the American Meteorological Society and National Weather Association. As a member of the weather team at WBBJ-TV in Jackson, Tennessee, Nick was nominated for a Mid-South Emmy for live coverage of a major tornado outbreak in February 2008. As part of the weather team at WRCB-TV in Chattanooga, Tennessee, Nick shared the Chattanooga Times-Free Press Best of the Best award for “Best Weather Team” eight consecutive years.