Flooding kills 8 in San Antonio; forecast says millions under flood watches
Eight people have been reported dead in floodwaters in San Antonio, Texas, and widespread excessive rainfall could spell more danger of flash flooding across Southern Plains states and parts of the Upper Midwest, forecasters said.
More than 15 million people were under flood watches the morning of June 12 across eastern Texas, northwestern Louisiana, southwestern Arkansas and part of southeastern Oklahoma, the National Weather Service said. Flood watches are issued when conditions are favorable for flooding to notify residents to be prepared. A cluster of more serious flash flood warnings covered parts of Texas, where forecasters said heavy rain was already falling.
Rainfall totals across Arkansas, Louisiana and Texas is likely to range from 2 to 4 inches, with 3 to 5 inches in southeast Texas through Friday night, the National Weather Service said. Between 2 and 7 inches had already fallen by the morning of June 12 in Jackson and Matagorda counties in south-central Texas and an additional 2 to 5 inches is expected, the weather service for the Houston-Galveston area said.
Another area of excessive rainfall is expected in the Upper Midwest, mainly across central Minnesota, where 1 to 3 inches could fall, forecasters said.
At least 8 dead in San Antonio flooding
At least eight people are dead in floodwaters in San Antonio and six are unaccounted for, Fire Department Public Information Officer Joe Arrington said in an update on June 13.
Between midnight and about 4:45 p.m. on June 12, the fire department responded to a total of 86 calls for water rescues or high water, including multiple calls in the area near the Northeast Interstate 410 loop at Perrin Beitel in the north part of the city.
"While the majority of the water rescue responses were not severe in nature and consisted of our crews assisting drivers from vehicles that were stalled in high water, several of these calls were harrowing and involved our crews entering swift moving water to effect rescues," Arrington said.
About 15 vehicles were swept away in that area. Ten people were rescued out of trees and bushes about 1 mile from where they entered the water, while two people were able to escape on their own, Arrington said. Police Chief William McManus said June 12 that two of the deceased were male and two were female.
Four people needed medical treatment at hospitals for minor injuries. Two people were still unaccounted for by late afternoon, Arrington said.
Flood risk, heavy rain to last for days
Some flood watches in effect in Arkansas will last through the evening of June 14, the weather service said. The next several days will be marked by heavy rainfall from Texas eastward into the Southeast region of the United States, according to AccuWeather.
Through the middle of next week, repeated rounds of downpours could lead to rain totals of 8 to 12 inches in localized areas of the Southern Plains states, according to the forecasting company. Some of the areas of Texas to see the heaviest rain have seen rounds of showers since early spring, while others have experienced drought; flash flooding can impact both, AccuWeather reported.
Storms on the way to several states
Severe storms are expected from Montana to the central Plains region on Friday, June 13, the Storm Prediction Center said. The storms will bring hail and damaging winds in parts of Montana, Wyoming and Colorado. The storm risk extends through parts of several central U.S. states, including Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas.
By the Father's Day weekend, rain and storms are expected to return to the Northeast, AccuWeather predicted. The showers and thunderstorms should arrive by the afternoon of June 13 and last into the weekend from southern and western New York down through the Mid-Atlantic and central Appalachians, the outlet reported.
The storm system could also impact the massive military parade planned in Washington, D.C., and several "No Kings" protests planned throughout the country on June 14, forecasters said. A fireworks show in the nation's capital could be interrupted by showers or a thunderstorm.