Last night, East Texas and Southwest Louisiana got hit hard by heavy rain. Epic flooding that plagued Houston area is now plaguing East Texas and Southwest Louisiana. Here is a rainfall total map.
Many areas saw over 10 inches/25.4 centimeters of rain. The highest total is over 26 inches/66.04 centimeters of rain! Beaumont/Port Arthur got over 26 inches of rain on August 29 and got 3 inches of rain today. That means they saw at least 29 inches of rain!
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CXUS54 KLCH 300819
CF6BPT
PRELIMINARY LOCAL CLIMATOLOGICAL DATA (WS FORM: F-6)
STATION: BEAUMONT PORT ARTHUR
MONTH: AUGUST
YEAR: 2017
LATITUDE: 29 57 N
LONGITUDE: 94 1 W
TEMPERATURE IN F: :PCPN: SNOW: WIND :SUNSHINE: SKY :PK WND
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1 2 3 4 5 6A 6B 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18
12Z AVG MX 2MIN
DY MAX MIN AVG DEP HDD CDD WTR SNW DPTH SPD SPD DIR MIN PSBL S-S WX SPD DR
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1 88 77 83 0 0 18 0.07 0.0 0 6.5 15 80 M M 6 19 90
2 86 74 80 -3 0 15 0.29 0.0 0 6.2 16 130 M M 5 138 21 140
3 91 74 83 0 0 18 0.02 0.0 0 5.1 14 30 M M 7 1 17 20
4 90 75 83 0 0 18 0.26 0.0 0 3.6 14 160 M M 5 13 17 160
5 87 74 81 -2 0 16 0.34 0.0 0 4.1 14 150 M M 3 13 20 120
6 92 75 84 1 0 19 0.34 0.0 0 7.5 21 290 M M 3 138 30 240
7 84 74 79 -4 0 14 0.73 0.0 0 4.6 20 280 M M 1 13 26 140
8 87 74 81 -2 0 16 2.42 0.0 0 5.5 20 190 M M 8 13 25 180
9 85 74 80 -3 0 15 0.38 0.0 0 4.5 16 140 M M 7 1 21 140
10 92 75 84 1 0 19 0.00 0.0 0 4.2 14 250 M M 3 1238 26 210
11 91 77 84 1 0 19 0.01 0.0 0 5.8 14 190 M M 1 18 18 180
12 92 74 83 0 0 18 0.00 0.0 0 6.1 14 190 M M 1 12 19 180
13 92 74 83 0 0 18 0.00 0.0 0 6.3 16 180 M M 2 13 24 250
14 93 76 85 2 0 20 0.00 0.0 0 7.7 15 190 M M 2 20 180
15 89 77 83 0 0 18 1.23 0.0 0 7.2 22 200 M M 1 138 31 160
16 91 78 85 2 0 20 0.02 0.0 0 9.0 20 240 M M 2 8 26 260
17 94 76 85 2 0 20 T 0.0 0 7.8 14 190 M M 1 19 220
18 95 76 86 3 0 21 0.00 0.0 0 4.7 14 100 M M 2 13 17 100
19 97 75 86 3 0 21 0.00 0.0 0 3.7 12 180 M M 2 138 15 160
20 92 78 85 2 0 20 0.85 M 0 3.0 8 120 M M 2 13 M M
21 92 77 85 2 0 20 0.01 0.0 0 4.3 17 100 M M 3 38 27 330
22 91 75 83 0 0 18 0.23 0.0 0 3.4 16 110 M M 2 13X 19 100
23 89 76 83 0 0 18 0.02 0.0 0 4.2 17 30 M M 2 13 22 40
24 92 74 83 0 0 18 0.04 0.0 0 7.7 23 70 M M 1 3 29 70
25 80 73 77 -6 0 12 1.23 0.0 0 14.3 23 100 M M 5 13 32 90
26 81 74 78 -5 0 13 2.74 0.0 0 13.1 26 90 M M 8 13 34 90
27 78 73 76 -7 0 11 8.98 0.0 0 15.5 30 110 M M 10 13 42 80
28 82 72 77 -6 0 12 5.52 0.0 0 19.2 28 50 M M 9 13 39 50
29 74 69 72 -10 0 726.03 0.0 0 22.1 35 360 M M 10 13 46 360
================================================================================
SM 2567 2170 0 492 51.76 0.0 216.9 M 114
================================================================================
AV 88.5 74.8 7.5 FASTST M M 4 MAX(MPH)
MISC ----> # 35 360 # 46 360
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The heavy rain that plagued East Texas and Southwest Louisiana happened at night in the form of core rains. The same type of rain that plagued Houston area. Here is the 7 day total.
The rainfall total are from multi-sensor (radar and rain gauge) precipitation estimates obtained from National Weather Service (NWS) River Forecast Centers (RFCs) and mosaicked by National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP). There are areas that have gotten over 50 inches/127 centimeters of rain. Some areas have nearly gotten 60 inches/152.4 centimeters of rain! I would not be surprised by the end of the week, some areas get up over 60 inches/152.4 centimeters of rain! The rainfall data is from Advanced Hydrologic Prediction Service (AHPS).
As things are drying out and we enter September, the tropics are brewing. You did not misread that. There are two areas of concern. Let’s start with the one in the Gulf of Mexico. There is an area of thunderstorms in the Southwest Gulf of Mexico. Yes, that is an area that the National Hurricane Center (NHC) is watching.
The NHC gives that area a low chance of developing in the next 5 days. Here is the discussion from NHC.
ZCZC MIATWOAT ALL
TTAA00 KNHC DDHHMM
Tropical Weather Outlook
NWS National Hurricane Center Miami FL
800 PM EDT Wed Aug 30 2017
For the North Atlantic...Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico:
The National Hurricane Center is issuing advisories on Tropical
Depression Harvey, located over central Louisiana and on Tropical
Storm Irma, located over the eastern Atlantic Ocean.
1. An area of low pressure could form over the southwestern Gulf of
Mexico by the weekend. Development, if any, of this system is
expected to be slow to occur as the low moves slowly northward.
If this system does develop, it could bring additional rainfall to
portions of the Texas and Louisiana coasts. However, any rainfall
forecast is uncertain at this time range and it is too soon to
determine any specific impacts. Interests in these areas should
monitor the progress of this system for the next few days.
* Formation chance through 48 hours...low...near 0 percent.
* Formation chance through 5 days...low...20 percent.
Public Advisories on Irma are issued under WMO header
WTNT31 KNHC and under AWIPS header MIATCPAT1.
Forecast/Advisories on Irma are issued under WMO header
WTNT21 KNHC and under AWIPS header MIATCMAT1.
Forecaster Avila
Let’s hope that does not develop into something tropical. If it does, that could mean more rain for flood ravaged Texas and Louisiana. That would be very bad. Regardless, I will keep an eye on that area.
There is also newly developed Tropical Storm Irma. The big question is where Irma goes. Here is the latest heat map from various forecast models and GFS ensemble track guidance. The GFS goes up to 10 days.
Looking at the forecast track, it is looking to move more to the northwest. It could affect Bermuda or the East Coast. None of the forecast models have it going into the Gulf of Mexico at this time. Here is the most recent satellite image of Irma.
Looking at Irma, it looks like it is intensifying. The circular pattern and spiral arms suggest that Irma is undergoing rapid intensification. Here is the intensity forecast for Irma.
The forecast models forecasts a Category 1 hurricane in 12 hours. I think Irma could be a major hurricane as early as tomorrow. Frankly, I would not be surprised if Irma becomes a Category 5 hurricane while out in the Atlantic.
Here is what I think will happen.
-The area of thunderstorms in Southwest Gulf of Mexico bears watching.
-Irma will become a major hurricane as early as tomorrow.
The forecast models came from Advanced Hydrologic Prediction Service (AHPS), NCAR-Tropical Cyclone Guidance, National Hurricane Center, Naval Research Laboratory Tropical Cyclone Page, Weather.US, Weather Prediction Center (WPC), and National Weather Service. Special thanks to all of them.
Harvey is not just a Houston area disaster. It is a Texas disaster. A disaster that everyone has feared has come true. A disaster of truly epic proportions of a magnitude that one cannot even imagine.