Severe Storms Spur Flash Flood Risk Across Texas Before Memorial Day

A slow‑moving cold front and moist Gulf air are generating a multi‑day thunderstorm complex that has placed central Texas, the Hill Country, and the Houston metro area under heightened flash‑flood risk ahead of Memorial Day. The National Weather Service has issued Level 2 of 4 excessive rainfall alerts for the Hill Country, the I‑35 corridor and coastal plains, warning of isolated totals up to five inches that could trigger life‑threatening flooding. In Houston and southeast Texas, storms are expected to bring one to three inches of rain with locally higher amounts, while central and northeast Texas face repeated rounds of heavy rain through the weekend.

Forecasts project 5–8 inches of rain by the holiday, expanding the threat to Dallas, Austin, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana and Mississippi. Residents are urged to avoid flooded roadways, monitor updates from weather.gov, and heed emergency guidance as the event could disrupt Memorial Day plans for millions and raise the risk of vehicle‑related flood deaths, which have accounted for 58 % of Texas flood fatalities over the past six decades.