Luke Skywalker
Super Moderator
{vb:raw ozzmodz_postquote}:
Two Union Pacific crewmembers were rescued after their freight train derailed in floodwaters north of Corsicana.(Photo: WFAA)
Up to a foot-and-a-half of<span style="color: Red;">*</span>rain pounded Texas south of Dallas on Saturday, raising the prospects of widespread<span style="color: Red;">*</span>flooding to<span style="color: Red;">*</span>the rain-soaked state even as the remnants of record-setting Hurricane Patricia were bearing down from Mexico.
The current bands of storms across Texas are the result of a stalled cold front. But even as that was easing Saturday, emergency officials warned of<span style="color: Red;">*</span>even more dire threats from the fast-moving Pacific hurricane that made land fall in Southern Mexico Friday night.
Patricia was<span style="color: Red;">*</span>downgraded to a soaking tropical storm as it moved<span style="color: Red;">*</span>into Texas early Saturday.
A Union Pacific freight train was partially submerged north of Corsicana on Saturday morning after apparently being swept off the rails by floodwaters,<span style="color: Red;">*</span>WFAA-TV reported. The incident happened on a trestle near Interstate 45 and Highway 287, about 60 miles south of Dallas. Two crew members aboard the train were brought to safety by a Navarro County swift water rescue team.
More than 18 inches of rain closed Interstate 45 near Corsicana, 50 miles<span style="color: Red;">*</span>south of Dallas Friday, leaving a 12-mile traffic jam. Officials had been urging residents to simply pull off the highway, find a parking lot and spend the night in their vehicles.
USA TODAY
Initial reports indicate no major damage, deaths from Hurricane Patricia
Much of the Texas heartland was under a flash flood watch early Saturday as the National Weather Service forecast up to a foot of rain in<span style="color: Red;">*</span>the Austin-San Antonio area. Sections of<span style="color: Red;">*</span>North Texas, which were already soaked,<span style="color: Red;">*</span>were expecting up to 7 more inches of rain.
Rains lasting throughout the day in Texas on Friday left many major roads and highways flooded. No injuries have been reported so far.
A pair of vehicles stall in flood waters during a heavy rain fall in Dallas.<span style="color: Red;">*</span>(Photo: Tony Gutierrez, AP)
Meanwhile, the mountains of Mexico were expected to "shred Patricia apart," according to the weather service. But the weakened storm will still bring<span style="color: Red;">*</span>heavy rain into Texas, before heading toward<span style="color: Red;">*</span>Arkansas and Louisiana.
The rains in Texas have vanquished a drought that struck<span style="color: Red;">*</span>the state over the summer. But now state officials worry about widespread flooding.
Officials in Hidalgo County planned to hand out free sandbags to help residents prepare for the expected deluge. Heavy rains, gusty winds and tidal rises of up to 5 feet prompted a coastal flood advisory for the upper Texas Gulf Coast, the Associated Press reported.
USA TODAY
Texas Looks Ahead to Likely Weekend Flooding
The potential for flooding comes five months after torrential spring storms caused more than 30 deaths and left large swaths of the state underwater. That<span style="color: Red;">*</span>Memorial Day weekend weather system brought an astonishing amount of rainfall, with some isolated areas receiving more than 20 inches. Homes were either damaged or swept away by river water southwest of Austin, about 1,500 homes in the Houston area alone sustained flood damage, and neighborhoods throughout the state were cut off by rising waters.
Little rain had fallen since then.
More than half of the state’s 254 counties had outdoor burn bans in effect Friday, due to previous dry conditions, the Texas A&M Forest Service reported.
Powered By WizardRSS.com | Full Text RSS Feed