Soaking rains stick around South this week

With no major winter storms in the forecast this week for the continental U.S., the focus remains on wet weather in the South.

Parts of the Tennessee and Ohio valleys were soaked with 3 to 5 inches of rainfall over the weekend. Some areas were also hit with damaging winds and large hail. The frontal system that triggered the stormy weather will stall along the Gulf Coast, keeping chances high for disruptive storms to develop in that region. A low-pressure cell will travel along the front, making the system more unstable, possibly producing rainfall totals exceeding 4 inches.

Truckers will hit periods of heavy rainfall Monday through Wednesday across the Deep South, from eastern Texas to Florida. It could be heavy enough to drastically reduce visibility at times, possibly flooding some roads and interstate ramps. Any flooding should be localized, affecting mainly low-lying areas and places with poor drainage systems. Areas in the target zone include Houston and Texarkana, Texas; New Orleans; most of Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia; as well as the Florida Panhandle

Some of the heaviest rain will occur underneath thunderstorms, but it’s unlikely that these storms will become severe as far as winds, hail or tornado potential.