Tropical rainstorm to bring a foot of rain along I-10 in southeast US

While the heaviest rain will fall east of Houston, the major cities of New Orleans and Mobile, Alabama, may experience significant flash flooding from a potent tropical rainstorm that could evolve into a depression.

A tropical rainstorm tracking eastward along the northern Gulf coast through Friday night has the potential to evolve into a tropical depression or tropical storm. Regardless of if or when it develops, AccuWeather meteorologists warn that enough rain will fall to hinder travel and lead to dangerous flash flooding.

Outdoor plans, such as a day at the beach, a fishing trip or high school football games throughout the week will be impacted. Meanwhile, rising water may block some city streets and highways.

The storm has a history of heavy rainfall. It first formed near the northwestern Gulf coast late last week and wandered inland over Texas during the Labor Day weekend. The tropical rainstorm has since reorganized along the Texas coast and will track eastward into the start of the new weekend.

AccuWeather designates tropical threats that have the potential to impact populated areas with flooding, rain and/or gusty winds, as well as those that could ramp up to a tropical depression or storm, to raise public awareness.

Because of its proximity to land, a quick ramp-up to a potent tropical storm is unlikely. However, because the center of circulation will remain close to the Gulf, it can continue to organize with locally stiff breezes and torrential rainfall that are often associated with a budding tropical system.

Locally severe thunderstorms can occur along the Gulf coast, including the risk of a few waterspouts that may move onshore and become tornadoes.

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Rainfall rates of 1-3 inches per hour are likely from the northeastern corner of Texas to northern Florida and southern Georgia are possible at times as the storm moves slowly along.

Where this occurs over a couple of hours, major urban flooding can unfold, including in the cities of Beaumont, Texas, and New Orleans and Lake Charles, Louisiana, as well as Biloxi, Mississippi; Mobile, Alabama; and Pensacola, Tallahassee and Jacksonville, Florida.

A broad area where 2-4 inches of rain will fall will extend almost as far to the north as I-20 in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia.

From 4-8 inches of rain is forecast to fall along Interstate 10 from Louisiana to northern Florida, as well as southern Georgia. Within this zone, pockets of 8-12 inches of rain are likely, especially in southeastern Louisiana and part of the Mississippi Panhandle. The AccuWeather Local StormMax™ rainfall is 18 inches.

Motorists shouldn't attempt to drive through flooded roads, as the water may still be rising. The force of flowing water may sweep the vehicle away, or the road surface may have been washed away beneath the water.

As the tropical rainstorm moves over land before reaching the Atlantic, it may unravel a bit over northern Florida and southern Georgia on Friday night. However, some re-organization is possible when it moves over the warm waters of the Gulf Stream off the southern Atlantic coast this weekend.

As this occurs, it may trigger a brief period of increasing winds, enhanced rainfall and rough surf in southeastern Georgia and parts of the Carolinas before heading out to sea.

AccuWeather meteorologists are closely monitoring several other areas over the Atlantic basin, including one feature to the northwest of Bermuda that will swing into Atlantic Canada this weekend and another system that will reach the southwestern Gulf of Mexico by early next week. The feature near Bermuda has the potential to evolve into a tropical depression or tropical storm in the short term.

The next two names on the list of tropical storms for the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season are Francine and Gordon.

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