Weekend Storm Brings Welcome Rain to Drought-Stricken North Texas

The storm train is reloading over Texas this weekend, threatening to bring the biggest rain event in weeks to the region. Read on for the details of this stormy weather pattern.

Soggy Weekend on the Horizon for Texas

The same weather maker that has been dumping rain and mountain snow across portions of California to end the week is going to make its way to the southern Plains by the end of the weekend. Although the Lone Star State has seen frequent rain and storms over the last few weeks, much of the region is still under drought conditions.

Unfortunately, the communities that need the moisture the most are likely to be left out of this beneficial rainfall. A large zone of high pressure is expected to build over the Midwest this weekend. This high pressure will block the rain from reaching the drought-stricken parts of Arkansas, Louisiana, and Mississippi. The position of this high pressure will push the bulk of the rain to the south and west of the parched landscape.

The good news is that northern and northeastern Texas will be at the heart of the storm action. According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, a wide swath of northern Texas is under the designation of abnormally dry or drought conditions.

The storm will reached the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex late Saturday and continue into Sunday. Rain has been hard to come by in this part of the state. The metro area last saw significant rainfall at the beginning of October, picking up 3.47 inches of rain. Since that time, the city has only recorded 0.19 of an inch of rain. This equates to just 4% of the historical average of 5.14 inches.

Dallas was forecast to pick up 1 to 2 inches of rain in the overnight hours Saturday and into Sunday. Rain will begin to ease later in the afternoon. Temperatures will plummet along with the arrival of the precipitation, topping out at just 50 degrees on Sunday in Dallas.

Elsewhere in Texas

Moving to the southeast, the rain and the thunderstorms are expected to reach Houston on Sunday. This part of the state has been under a more active weather pattern when compared to its neighbors to the north. For example, Houston has picked up nearly 2 inches in November. This is slightly above the historical average for this point in the month.

The forecast for Houston is calling for 1 to 2 inches of rain on Sunday alone. Temperatures will also take a nosedive, going from a high in the low 80s on Friday to readings that struggle to climb out of the low 60s on Sunday.

Austin and San Antonio are bracing for the threat of heavy rain and thunderstorms. Corpus Christi is also in the line of fire. This beach community notched more than 5 inches of rain earlier in the month when a powerful storm system moved over the coast.

Meteorologists are warning that the storm will likely feed on the moisture in the Gulf as it approaches this region. This will amplify the rainfall totals and raise the risk of flash flooding in portions of central and coastal Texas. While the worst of the impacts are forecast over Texas, some of the meaningful moisture will stretch to the east and across southern Louisiana.

The end of the weekend is shaping up to be a messy affair. Flight delays are possible as the storms rumble through Texas. The Monday morning commute may also be impacted by lingering rain showers, primarily focused on the coastal region.

High pressure building over the eastern U.S. early next week could prevent the most potent bands of rain from expanding to the east. However, Florida could still be a target of this drenching rainfall as the high pressure is not expected to dip this far south.

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