Heavy rain drenches South, Arctic blast moderates
The weather picture changed dramatically as the frigid air moved out, rain moved in - prompting melting in the Grain Belt. Meanwhile in the South, heavy rain lead to flooding.
Transcript
Moisture was in ample supply in Texas this week.
Schools were closed around Houston due to flooding and elevated risks as torrential downpours swept over the region.
Rain totals between two and five inches were common from areas of Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Arkansas.
Snow is still on the ground in the Upper Midwest from I-70 northward.
Last week’s cold snap damaged underground water pipes in Tennessee. Here in the western town of Mason, residents were without water for much of the week and had to line up for bottled water or to fill jugs from a spigot outside of city hall.
A change in weather patterns brought on warmer conditions, melting the more than two feet of snow in the Midwest. Temperatures above freezing in several states were combined with rainfall to move the process along.
The Drought Monitor did reveal some improvement in conditions. For the first time since July 18, 2023, less than half of the country was listed in some form of drought. Even more improvement is expected next week as much of the heaviest rain in the Gulf Coast fell after the data cutoff.
Major weather systems in California led to flash flooding in San Diego. The clean up of stranded cars and debris took much of the first few days of the week. The damage followed a downpour of three inches of rain in just three hours setting a city record for the most amount of rain in a single January day.
Another weekend of rain is expected along the West Coast.
For Market to Market, I’m Peter Tubbs.
Contact: Paul.Yeager@IowaPBS.org