Central Texas and South Louisiana brace for heavy rain and flood risk

A trough of low pressure moving northeast from northern Mexico is expected to bring showers and thunderstorms to Central Texas on Friday evening and night. The National Weather Service has issued a Flood Watch for most of Central Texas, including the Austin metro area, with forecasted rainfall totals of 2–4 inches and isolated amounts of 6–8 inches that could cause excessive runoff and localized flooding.

In South Louisiana, scattered showers and thunderstorms continue today as lingering tropical moisture keeps soils saturated. While rain coverage is lighter than earlier this week, brief heavy downpours could still produce localized flooding in areas with poor drainage. A drier, hotter stretch is forecast to begin early next week, with temperatures reaching the upper 80s to low 90s and heat index values approaching advisory levels.