Truckers will run into delays the next two days as periods of heavy rain pound parts of the southern Plains.
A strong cold front and the remnants of a hurricane will combine to produce torrential downpours, leading to potential flash flooding and temporary road closures.
The front is connected to a blizzard in the northern Rockies, but on the warm side of this big low pressure system a band of strong thunderstorms was developing Wednesday morning from northern Texas to Kansas City, Missouri. The front will move slowly southeast, then likely stall, maintaining the odds for rain.
Hurricane Pamela will make landfall in western Mexico late Wednesday morning, with flooding likely due to rain and storm surge. The storm’s winds will weaken after landfall, but heavy rain will still be a concern as the remnants reach the U.S. Wednesday night into Thursday. This is due to the system pulling additional moisture from the Gulf of Mexico into the southern Pains.
Related: How and why do hurricanes get their names?
The cold front plus the hurricane remnants will particularly hit areas from southwestern Texas to southeastern Oklahoma, where the National Weather Service has flash flood watches posted. They are set to expire at noon CT Thursday.
Laredo, San Antonio and Dallas-Fort Worth, as well as spots in between, could get drenched with 4 to 8 inches of rain. Low-lying areas and neighborhoods with poor drainage will be most prone to flooding.
Rain will fade Thursday afternoon into the evening as the system moves into the Ohio and middle Mississippi valleys.
Major lanes of concern
• Interstate 35 from Laredo to Dallas-Fort Worth.
• Interstate 10 from San Antonio to Sonora, Texas.
• Interstate 20 from Dallas-Fort Worth to Cisco, Texas.
Click here for more FreightWaves articles by Nick Austin.
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