Severe storms swept along the Gulf Coast on Monday, leading to flooding warnings, shuttered highways, and evacuations for some residents in the area.
The National Weather Service reported between 5 and 12 inches of rain had already fallen in parts of Calcasieu Parish and Jefferson Davis Parish in western Louisiana.
Footage uploaded to social media showed abandoned vehicles and rapidly moving floodwaters passing through the streets and causing damage to homes. A weather station in Baton Rouge reported flooding inside its weather center at 10:43 p.m. local time.
Gov. John Bel Edwards declared a state of emergency late Monday for southwest Louisiana.
GREEK LETTER HURRICANES ARE NO MORE
Current Situation: We’re currently taking in water in the weather center. #BatonRouge #flooding #brwx #lawx pic.twitter.com/diBULNbbgl
— Jesse Gunkel (@JesseGunkel) May 18, 2021
A video from the community of Lake Charles showed a father hauling his two children home from school using a kayak Monday as rains had flooded the streets during the day.
School systems in the area have either shuttered or opted for online remote learning for Tuesday. Louisiana State University tweeted the campus would be closed Tuesday.
The National Weather Service issued a flash flood emergency in the lake community area, which radar estimates showed received 10 to 12 inches of rain in portions of southern East Baton Rouge Parish, Western Ascension, and far eastern Iberville at 11:05 p.m.
Parts of Texas also received excessive rainfall that led to flooding in Dallas.
In Fannett, Texas, local weather reports estimated the town had received as much as 18 inches of rain.
Several cities in southern states were also under tornado warnings in the past 24 hours, and one tornado touched down near Sterling City, Texas, on Tuesday morning.
Wowza! Major flooding in Richardson (Dallas County) Texas!! https://t.co/wlizp46IsJ
— Colleen Campbell (@ccampbellwx) May 16, 2021
Hazardous conditions are forecast to continue through the region throughout Tuesday, including some parts of Oklahoma and Arkansas. Widespread minor to isolated major river flooding is expected through late May, according to the National Weather Service.
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The National Weather Service also predicts a moderate risk of excessive rainfall in the Central Gulf Coast and Southern Plains through Thursday.
