Potent storms lashed the southern United States with heavy rain and wind on Monday, flooding roadways, damaging buildings and knocking out power across the Gulf Coast region, where some communities were still reeling from recent deadly storms.
Nearly 13 million people from south-central Texas to the Florida Panhandle were under enhanced risk of severe weather threats, including flash floods, hail, high winds and possible tornadoes, according to the National Weather Service's Storm Prediction Center. San Antonio and Austin in Texas, Baton Rouge in Louisiana, Mobile in Alabama, and Tallahassee in Florida, were among the cities most at risk of dangerous storm conditions, the weather service said.
By the afternoon, there were reports of flooding throughout eastern Texas, southern Alabama and southwestern Florida, where 2 to 3 inches of rain has fallen, the weather service said. Officials closed roads and urged people to be mindful of rising water levels. Meanwhile, meteorologists in Santa Rosa County, Florida, recorded wind speeds up to 60 mph.
"Numerous intersections are beginning to flood," the Pensacola Police Department said in a social media post. "We have officers responding to two stalled vehicles due to them attempting to drive through flooded areas. Please turn around when approaching flooded roadways."
In Jackson, Mississippi, the strong winds uprooted trees and snapped power poles, knocking out power to thousands of homes and businesses. Monkeia Brown-Rankin's home was destroyed by a tree that fell from her neighbor's yard and crashed through her roof early Monday. No one was seriously injured, though the tree came in above where her husband slept as well as her daughter's room. The family's five-month-old dog Creed, made it out safely after part of the ceiling came down on his crate.
"We're blessed," Brown-Rankin told the Clarion Ledger, part of the USA TODAY Network. "We'll be okay."
In anticipation of the storms, school districts in Florida, Mississippi and other Gulf Coast states announced early dismissals and school closures. A tornado watches have been issued for counties across the Florida Panhandle and are set to expire at 7 p.m.
Tens of thousands of utility customers across the Gulf Coast were without power on Monday as worsening weather conditions began to pick up and communities pushed ahead with recovery efforts following last week's storm damage. In Florida, more than 30,000 were without power, with the majority of outages reported in Tallahassee, according to a USA TODAY outages tracker. Across Mississippi and southwestern Alabama, over 40,000 outages were reported.
High waterways, soaked ground raises threat of flooding
The fierce weather conditions comes on the heels of several weeks of devastating storms in the region. Earlier this month, storms triggered flash floods across southeastern Texas, leading to the death of a 4-year-old boy and hundreds of rescues. Up to 20 inches of rain has fallen in eastern Texas since the start of the month, according to AccuWeather.
Last week, Gulf Coast states were pummeled by powerful storms that spun up tornadoes, dropped tennis-ball-sized hail and flooded parts of the region. Tallahassee saw its most storm damage in years after a trio of tornadoes tore through the state capital, uprooting trees, damaging buildings and claiming the life of a 47-year-old woman. Several injuries in Alabama were tied to tornadoes that ripped across the state last week, including one with winds as high as 140 mph.
The already saturated ground raised concerns over flooding as many waterways are at or near flood stage. The weather service in Jackson, Mississippi, said 3-5 inches of rain, with higher amounts possible, is anticipated to fall Monday and into Tuesday. Forecasters expect 3-4 inches of rain to fall in Lucedale, Louisiana, and Pensacola, Florida.
"This amount of rain alone is enough to trigger new small stream and low-lying area flooding and reverse recession along the secondary rivers,” said AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Alex Sosnowski. “And, with additional rounds of rain coming this week and next weekend, the situation could get very serious."
Rounds of thunderstorms to continue hitting Southeast on Tuesday
Meteorologists say the low pressure system will bring thunderstorms across much of the eastern U.S. through the midweek before it's expected to move off the coast Wednesday, according to the weather service.
As the storm pushes east, much of the I-10 corridor and Gulf Coast, especially northern Florida, face bursts of heavy rainfall Tuesday morning and afternoon. By Tuesday night, showers and storms will expand into the Northeast, though they will not be as intense as those expected to hit the Southeast.
After the storm system dissipates, another one may be on the way. AccuWeather meteorologists said a new storm is expected to head east from the southern Rockies before triggering a surge of moisture from the Gulf of Mexico, and ultimately leading to showers and thunderstorms on Friday and Saturday.
Contributing: Barbara Gauntt, Clarion Ledger
