Florida river flooding and West Texas flash floods lead U.S. weather threats
Moderate flooding on the St. Johns River near Astor, Florida, and flash flood warnings in West Texas were the sharpest U.S. hazards Friday. High winds were also hitting Anchorage and Eagle River, while a low pressure area over the Andaman Sea was expected to strengthen this weekend.
Past 24 Hours
Preliminary storm reports from the Storm Prediction Center showed five tornado reports in Texas late Thursday, including one west of Uvalde, two near Montell, one near Alamo Village and a landspout north of Van Horn in Culberson County.
In India, the remnant low of former Very Severe Cyclonic Storm Arnab was over north Chhattisgarh, adjoining East Madhya Pradesh, southeast Uttar Pradesh and west Jharkhand at 5:30 p.m. IST Friday, according to the India Meteorological Department.
AirNow said wildfire smoke was affecting air quality Friday.
What's Happening Now
Moderate flooding was still underway Friday morning near Astor on the St. Johns River, where the river stood at 3.7 feet at 10:30 a.m. EDT. The National Weather Service said canals had overflowed into yards, homes near Wildhog and Bonnet roads were inaccessible, and docks at Astor Bridge Marina were submerged.
Flash flooding was already occurring by 10:10 a.m. CDT in Dawson and Gaines counties in West Texas, where radar and automated rain gauges showed 1.5 to 2 inches of rain. Lamesa, Seminole and Seagraves were among the communities in the warning area until 1:15 p.m. CDT.
In south-central Alaska, high wind warnings were in effect Friday for Anchorage, Anchorage Hillside and Eagle River, and Cordova. Gusts could reach 80 mph in Bear Valley, Potter Creek and Rabbit Creek until 11 a.m. AKDT in the Anchorage Hillside and Eagle River warning area.
In Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands, a high surf advisory, small craft advisory and rip current statement were in effect Friday night. The National Weather Service in Guam said there were no active tropical cyclones nearby.
Outlook Through Tonight
The Storm Prediction Center said an isolated severe weather risk would continue through tonight along the middle Texas coast and across parts of central and southern Arizona. The main threats are a brief tornado near the Texas coast, marginally severe hail and localized damaging gusts.
The National Weather Service warned Friday of a multi day heavy rain event across parts of the southern Plains and Southwest through the weekend. Forecasters also warned of high surf in Florida and a series of Bering Sea storms for Alaska.
A low pressure area over the South Andaman Sea and nearby islands was likely to strengthen into a depression around Saturday, the India Meteorological Department said. It is then expected to track west northwest toward the Andhra Pradesh coast during the following two days.