HEAVY RAINS CONTINUE TO SOAK GULF COAST REGION

June 7, 2001 — The remnants of Tropical Storm Allison remain parked above east Texas, Louisiana and southern Mississippi and continue a deluge of heavy rains, prompting NOAA's National Weather Service to issue flash flood warnings for local rivers and streams. (Click NOAA satellite image for larger view.)

Bands of showers and thunderstorms have produced significant rainfall amounts from Houston to New Orleans. In the Houston area, water rescue crews helped retrieve stranded motorists. Residents across the south and southwestern battled rising water in their homes and across roads. Subdivisions around the Beaumont/Port Arthur, Texas, area are also inundated with significant rainfall, added to ground already saturated from excessive rainfall over the last several days. A flash flood watch remained in effect for much of southeast Texas on Thursday.

A State of Emergency has been declared for Terrebonne and Lafourche Parishes in southern Louisiana. Widespread rainfall amounts of 10 to 15 inches have fallen over these parishes since Allison made landfall, weather wervice forecasters said. High water crept into businesses and closed roads in Franklin, in St. Mary's Parish. Forecasters expect more significant rainfall throughout the next several days.

Steve Rinard, meteorologist-in-charge of the weather service forecast office in Lake Charles, La., said, "The message forecasters continue to stress is that it doesn't take a major hurricane to cause major problems. A tropical storm that moves inland and stalls can cause major damage. Allison is a classic example."

Thunderstorms associated with Allison may have spawned a brief tornado that claimed the life of a 70-year-old man north of Zachary, La. Several trees were blown down, one of which fell on a vehicle he was driving.

The low pressure area associated with Allison is forecast to drift slowly southwest over the next several days. Forecasters said conditions remain favorable for more significant rainfall along the western Gulf Coast through the weekend.

Relevant Web Sites
National Weather Warnings

NOAA's Hydrometeorological Prediction Center — Get the latest excessive rainfall forecasts

NOAA's River Forecast Centers


NOAA's National Hurricane Center — Get the latest advisories here

NOAA Satellite Images — The latest satellite views

Colorized Satellite Images

NOAA 3-D Satellite Images


HURRICANE FORECASTERS EXPECT NORMAL ATLANTIC STORM ACTIVITY IN 2001
NOAA Says 5 to 7 Hurricanes Could Threaten


Atlantic Tropical Events 2001 — NOAA satellite imagery

Current Satellite Images, including Tropical Storms


NOAA’s “Hurricane Hunter” Aircraft

Hurricanes: Nature's Greatest Storms

Archived NOAA satellite imagery of historical events

Historic Hurricanes

Hurricane Basics

NOAA's Weather Page


Media Contact:
Ron Trumbla, NOAA's National Weather Service Southern Region, (817) 978-4613 ext. 140

 

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