Weather Alert Issued as Texas Farmers Warned of 'Major' Flooding

Senior Writer, General Assignment

Farmers in a small community in eastern Texas could experience flooded fields, according to a National Weather Service (NWS) flood warning on Friday.

The warning comes amid a turbulent month of severe weather for the Lone Star State, which has experienced extreme hail and deadly tornadoes. Moisture-laden storms have also caused excessive rainfall and flooding in eastern Texas. And in southern Texas, high heat and humidity have sent the heat index soaring past 110 degrees Fahrenheit.

The NWS issued its flood warning early Friday morning for Rice, Texas, which will remain in place until Sunday evening. The river affected by possible floods is Chambers Creek.

As of the time of the warning, the creek was at 25.4 feet. The banks are full when the creek is at 24 feet. Forecasters anticipate that the river will continue to rise until it crests at 29.1 feet after midnight on Friday. They expect its levels to fall below flood stage by Sunday morning.

"At 27.0 feet, Moderate out of bank flooding will occur along the creek. A few rural roads will be flooded. Minor lowland flooding is expected for farms and ranches downstream," the NWS warning said.

However, if the creek's water levels continue to rise, "major" out of bank flooding will occur at 30 feet.

"Farm and ranch industries will be flooded. Several rural roads along the river will be flooded," the warning added.

In addition to the forecast, meteorologists urged residents not to drive their cars through flooded areas.

"Caution is urged when walking near riverbanks," the warning said.

A flood watch and flood warnings were issued for other parts of Texas on Friday as well, although the NWS said the flood watch for northern Texas was canceled after storms moved out of the area.

"However, the watch continues for Central Texas through this evening," the NWS said. "Additional 1 to 2 inches of rain can be expected in this area. A few locations could see rainfall amounts exceeding 3 inches. Use extra caution at low water crossing and in areas of poor drainage."

NWS meteorologist Patricia Sanchez told Newsweek that most of the storms have already moved out of the area as of late Friday morning.

"The rivers take longer to respond to the rain, so sometimes, depending on how fast the rainfall rates are...they slowly keep going up through the night," she said.

Isolated thunderstorms are expected for the rest of the day. So far this year, Rice has received 8.52 inches of rain, roughly double the average rainfall for the month of May.