No End to the Rain for the Gulf South
Texas and Louisiana continue to suffer heavy rain from a large and persistent area of showers and thunderstorms in the Gulf of Mexico.
Latest Gulf South Radar Imagery
The showers and thunderstorms aren’t likely to develop into a tropical system, but flash flood watchings and other weather warnings have been posted because of the large batch of rain that continues to make it’s way onshore. For the latest forecast from your local TV affiliate, click on this link: Get Your Local TV Weather!
While some areas will see a bit of a break for a few hours during the day, expect the chance of rain to continue for the next 5 days. Most computer models show the persistence of disturbed weather off the Texas/Louisiana coastline through the middle of next week.
-Dawn Brown
HURRICANE Fred
Fred strengthened into a major hurricane with 120 mile winds overnight, becoming the second major hurricane of the 2009 season behind Hurricane Bill. However, this storm is not expected to get close the US mainland, instead taking a northerly course to the middle of the Atlantic. Satellite images show a well defined eye, as the storm passes over warm water and low wind shear. Wind shear has played a huge part in the lack of storms this year, as the shear tends to cut of the tops of developing storms. This storm currently has a healthy outflow (all those light wispy clouds moving out away from the storm), and right now, there’s nothing to impede it’s growth. In a day or so, it will move over cooler water and into an area of higher wind shear. At that time, the National Hurricane Center believes it will weaken to a tropical depression in their 5 day forecast. And, I don’t disagree!
Looking at the national weather map, Houston, Texas is getting a good soaking today. Click here for the latest video forecast in Houston.
The TV weather guy there also has an analysis of an area of showers and thunderstorms in the Western Gulf that has the possibility of developing. Something to watch, but there’s nothing there yet!
-Dawn Brown