Tropical Storm Bill weakened Wednesday to a tropical depression but is still bringing massive amounts of rain to south Texas.
“Rainfall will result in significant flooding across central and eastern Texas and into southern Oklahoma through Wednesday night,” AccuWeather meteorologist Chyna Glenn told USA Today.
However, Texas is not the only state bearing the brunt of Bill’s wrath.
Southern and eastern Oklahoma have reported more than a foot of rain including just over 13 inches reported at Newport, Oklahoma. Interstate 35 in southern Oklahoma was closed due to flooding and one exit had to be closed because the rain dislodged boulders which rolled into the roadway.
Multiple rivers including the Red River, Trinity River and Washita River are either at flood stage or are forecasted to be reaching flood stage by the weekend. The National Weather Service said the flooding from the Washita River in Oklahoma could be “catastrophic.”
The storm is moving eastward into Missouri and Arkansas, bringing heavy rain and the possibility of flooding in those states.
Texas officials are rushing to prepare for Tropical Storm Bill which is on a path to soak parts of the state already saturated from previous rains and flooding.
The storm made landfall around 11:45 a.m. Tuesday near Port O’Connor.
Tropical Storm Wind warnings along with Flood warnings have been placed in effect through Wednesday for many parts of eastern and southern Texas. Schools throughout the Houston area along with all summer programs were cancelled because of the impending rains and threat of flooding.
“While high winds and even tornadoes are possible, already wet grounds mean that even a moderate amount of rain will likely cause street flooding,” warned Harris County Emergency Management. “Bayous and rivers could go out of banks quickly, creating a serious threat to life and property.”
Forecasters expect the storm to bring as much as a foot of radio to parts of Texas. Most areas in Texas and Oklahoma in the path of the storm could see as much as 8 inches. The storm is expected to turn east and bring around four inches to Arkansas, Louisiana and parts of Missouri.
Texas residents are being cautious with this storm.
“Everyone’s a little gun-shy,” Lisa Kiefer told KXAN. “Three weeks ago, after the flood, helicopters were in town for days, and the Red Cross trucks … you just couldn’t get away from the fact the community was so damaged.”
The Philippines are still on alert for the weakening once-Super Typhoon Maysak. Its course is still set to make landfall on Luzon Island this weekend. Maysak will either be a tropical storm or on the verge of becoming one by the time it hits early Saturday.
This storm was at its peak intensity with 160 mph Category 5 Hurricane Winds on April 1st but is weakening slowly with strong wind shear as it makes its way to the Philippines. Power Outages and flooding are still a concern with this storm through Sunday evening.
Once exiting the Philippines, Typhoon Maysak which by then should only be a tropical storm system is not expected to strengthen as it enters the China Sea.
Tropical Storm Jangmi slammed into the Philippines leaving at least 31 people dead and seven people missing.
Jangmi made landfall with winds of 40 miles per hour and gusts of 50 miles per hour. Heavy rain fell on the southern part of the nation where the flooding took out bridges and highways.
Officials say most of the deaths took place on Tuesday when the rain created landslides and flash flooding.
Officials in Catbalogan City said that a dozen people were killed when a landslide buried two vans and six houses in the eastern part of the city. They said that voices are being heard in the vans and that rescue efforts are progressing.
A regional civil defense official told Fox News that 10 members of a family died when their creekside house was washed into the river by flash flooding.
Hawaii could be facing another hurricane.
Tropical Storm Ana is moving toward Hawaii after increasing in strength from a tropical depression to tropical storm Monday. Forecasters say the storm will likely reach Category 1 hurricane status before it makes landfall on the Big Island Saturday morning.
“Traditionally, tropical systems struggle to maintain strength as they approach Hawaii from the southeast,” said AccuWeather.com Meteorologist Evan Duffey. “However, abnormally warm water south of Hawaii could support an organized tropical system surviving into Hawaii.”
Even if the storm falls back to tropical storm status, it will still bring flooding, high surf, strong winds and heavy rain to the entire state.
The storm will be the second time this year Hawaii is hit with a major tropical storm. Hurricane Iselle struck the islands in August, marking the first time since record keeping began in 1950 that a storm of hurricane intensity struck the islands.
Tropical Storm Gonzalo is strengthening in the Caribbean and is on a collision course with Puerto Rico.
Gonzalo is packing sustained winds of 50 miles per hour and was moving west around 11 miles per hour. Forecasters at the National Hurricane Center say Gonzalo could reach hurricane strength some time during the day Tuesday.
A hurricane watch is in effect for the U.S. and British Virgin Islands along with Puerto Rico.
The NHC expects at least 8 inches of rain possible for areas within the path of the storm bringing heavy flooding and landslides. Some isolated areas could receive as much as 12 inches of rain.
Puerto Rico is home to 3.6 million people.
Hawaii residents dodged one bullet when Hurricane Iselle weakened before making landfall Friday.
Tropical Storm Iselle was still the first named storm to strike the islands in 22 years.
The storm game ashore around 2:30 a.m. local time just outside of Pahala. The storm carried sustained winds of 60 m.p.h. No deaths or major injuries have been reported so far.
Officials say that heavy rain has been falling on the island of Oahu that has been causing localized flooding. Roadways have been impassible and residents have been told to avoid traveling. Downed trees have blocked the H-1 freeway.
Power is out to large parts of the islands. Officials confirmed at least 21,000 homes are in the dark and the total is likely to climb as the storm continues.
Hurricane Julio, which has strengthened to a Category 3 storm, is now tracking to move just north of the islands but could still bring heavy rain from the outer bands to the areas currently being hit by Iselle.
Forecasters say a tropical storm has formed off the Florida coast and conditions are right for it to strengthen over the next few days.
That means Florida could be facing a Fourth of July hurricane.
A tropical storm watch has been put into effect for parts of Florida’s east coast because of Tropical Storm Arthur. The storm is centered about 95 miles southeast of Cape Canaveral. The cell was mostly stationary through Tuesday morning but was expected to begin moving toward land later in the day.
The storm had maximum sustained winds of 40 miles per hour as of noon Tuesday.
While the official storm track from NOAA predicts the eye of the storm will stay far offshore, some forecasters are seeing parallels between this storm and a similar storm in 2004 that battered the eastern seaboard despite the eye staying offshore.
Meterologist Joe Bastardi of WeatherBELL says that the storm is very similar to the tropical storm that ended up as Hurricane Alex in 2004. That hurricane ended up with wind gusts over 115 miles per hour that hammered the east coast from Florida to Virginia.
Another tropical storm has formed in the Pacific Ocean and is bearing down on Mexico.
Tropical Storm Sonia had formed about 285 miles south of the Baja California peninsula. The storm has maximum sustained winds of 40 m.p.h. and is moving north at 7 m.p.h.
The National Hurricane Center said that a tropical storm warning has been issued from Mazatlan north along Mexico’s mainland. The forecasters expect Sonia to pass south of Baja California before making landfall somewhere on the Mexican mainland.
Heavy rain could hit a wide area and local officials are warning residents about possible mudslides and flash flooding.
