The Southern region is expected to experience a damp start to 2024 as a moist weather pattern establishes itself over the Gulf Coast states.
This will result in significant rainfall and the potential for flash flooding in Texas early in the week, extending down to Central Florida by midweek.
A series of low-pressure systems moving across the United States will bring varied weather conditions, ranging from rain to snow.
In the Southern states, a system traversing the Gulf states will bring much-needed heavy rain to areas grappling with drought. However, the rapid accumulation of rain in a short period may pose a risk of flash flooding, as the dry soil struggles to absorb the moisture.
The FOX Forecast Center anticipates a rainy start to the first week of the new year, targeting South Texas for precipitation as a low-pressure system develops.
From Monday to Wednesday, substantial rainfall is expected from Houston, Texas, to Pensacola, Florida.
Specifically, Tuesday is forecasted to be a wet day for cities like Houston and Galveston in Texas. South Texas could see up to 1 inch of rain, with isolated areas, including those near Corpus Christi, experiencing higher amounts of up to 2 inches.
By Wednesday, the focus for potential flooding shifts to Louisiana.
“The energy from the West Coast, that low, tracks into the northern Gulf of Mexico, and it kind of gets its second life, and this warm front is going to be drifted right along the I-10 corridor, shaking up those showers from Lake Charles to New Orleans all the way up through Birmingham, Alabama,” Jane Minar, FOX Weather Meteorologist, stated.
By Wednesday, the low-pressure system will move eastward and position itself off the coast of New Orleans, Louisiana, by early morning. This shift will expand the risk of flash flooding over a larger region, stretching from Lake Charles, Louisiana, down to Tampa, Florida.
On Wednesday, Shreveport, Alexandria, and Baton Rouge in Louisiana, as well as Gulfport, Mississippi, can expect heavy rain with predicted totals ranging between 1 and 2 inches.
“It’s going to be real soggy on the Gulf Coast, central Gulf Coast, as we go into the middle part of the week,” Minar stated.
The increased moisture in various drought-affected regions may lead to potential flash flooding from southwest Louisiana to Southwest Florida until Thursday.
The southern regions are experiencing different levels of drought, with parts of Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama facing exceptional drought conditions.
These areas, including New Orleans, require more moisture, as the current rainfall totals are 16 inches below the normal levels for this time of year.
“It is going to take a number of storms, not just one, to remove the drought that has unfortunately plagued this area,” Minar said.
