Thunderstorms have drenched many areas of the South this week, with the National Weather Service (NWS) posting one flash flood warning after another.
Birmingham, Alabama, was one area hit hard Tuesday. At one point, the NWS issued a flash flood emergency for the city, which received a daily record 3.59 inches at the airport. Other parts of Birmingham were soaked with 6 inches or more of rain.
According to a WVTM-TV report, firefighters rescued several people from a flooded apartment complex in the Homewood section of the city.
The threat for more heavy rain and flash flooding hasn’t ended but is shifting southward. Another 1 to 3 inches could fall along the Interstate 10 corridor from New Orleans to just west of Tallahassee, Florida, as well as the U.S. Highway 90 and 98 corridors. This includes places such as Gulfport, Biloxi and Pascagoula, Mississippi; Mobile, Alabama; in addition to Crestview, Destin and Panama City, Florida. These areas are under a flash flood watch Wednesday.
Flooding could occur inland across southern portions of Mississippi and Alabama, including sections of the Interstate 59 and 65 corridors.
The slow-moving cold front that has been responsible for the torrential rain, as well as tornadoes, large hail and straight-line wind damage across the Southeast the past two days, will stall along the Gulf Coast. While flooding is the primary issue remaining, isolated spots of large hail and severe winds could develop. A few severe storms may also pop up Wednesday along the Eastern Seaboard.
By Thursday, the threat for severe storms and flash flooding will be confined to parts of the Florida Peninsula.
Click here for more FreightWaves articles by Nick Austin.
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