Floods Sweep South Texas and Nearby Border Cities in Mexico
Severe flooding swept South Texas and cities across the border in Mexico on Thursday, as half a year’s rainfall drenched the region in less than two days.Officials warned of more rain on Friday and shut schools on the U.S.
side.Thunderstorms brought 10 to 15 inches of rain to the parts of Texas where flash flood warnings were in effect, said Geoffrey Bogorad, a senior forecaster at the National Weather Service office in Brownsville.As much as four more inches were expected to fall, he said, as the Weather Service warned of more flash floods on Friday.The rain has flooded homes and roads and prompted at least nine school districts in the Rio Grande Valley to cancel classes on Friday.
Multiple cities in South Texas this week saw record amounts of rain for late March, with 12 inches falling in Harlingen, and 11 in McAllen, during a 24-hour period, Mr.Bogorad said.
The semiarid region along the border with Mexico usually receives about 25 inches annually.“This is a particularly dangerous situation,” the Weather Service said in a statement late Thursday, adding that the flash flooding was life-threatening and the damage could be catastrophic.“Do not attempt to travel unless you are fleeing an area subject to flooding, or under an evacuation order.”The storms have also soaked Mexico.
The weather authorities there warned late Thursday of winds of up to 50 miles per hour overnight, with heavy rain and some hail expected in the border states of Tamaulipas and Nuevo Leon.Thunderstorms began dousing South Texas on Wednesday.Meteorologists warned of heavy rainfall and flash flooding as they observed another round of thunderstorms on Thursday.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.
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