National Weather Service United States Department of Commerce

Dangerous Heat Builds and Expands; Critical Fire Weather for the Southwest; Severe Thunderstorms for Plains and Midwest

Dangerous to record breaking heat will build across the center of the nation and slowly build eastward this week. Wildfire conditions remain critical for the Southwest and portions of the Great Basin through Monday. For the northern Plains and upper Midwest, severe thunderstorms with the potential for large to very large hail and severe winds are the primary hazards. Read More >

 

Event
Summary

 

March 2016 Record Flooding

 

Summary

A cut off upper low over West Texas and a stalled frontal boundary over Southeast Texas produced multiple days of very heavy rainfall over the region. Widespread flash flooding occurred across the area with totals ranging from 10 to 20 inches. The highest rainfall total occurred at the Toledo Bend Dam with 15 to 20 inches of rainfall common over the reservoir. This pushed the lake level to an all time high of 174.36 feet which is over one foot higher than the previous record crest from 1989. This forced the floodgates to be fully opened on the 10th, except for two gates that were under maintenance. Downstream of the reservoir, a flood of record occurred along the Sabine River.


Image of rainfall totals