NWS Lake Charles weather update
Published 3:53 pm Monday, August 15, 2016
The National Weather Service in Lake Charles is expecting scattered showers and thunderstorms to move north across southeast Texas and western Louisiana this afternoon, before weakening after sunset tonight. Another round of showers and thunderstorms is expected tomorrow. Due to the unusually moist atmosphere, these showers are producing high rainfall rates. If these showers move across flooded regions of southwest and south central Louisiana, we will be quick to issue flash flood warnings because the water will not be able to runoff effectively.
Major river flooding continues on the Vermilion River near Surrey Street in Lafayette. The river should start a slow fall lateTuesday or Wednesday, and fall below major flood stage by Thursday. The Mermentau River is still rising, and will see a crest of 11.5 ft on Thursday. Many areas are already seeing flooded property in northeastern Cameron, northwestern Vermilion, and Jeff Davis and Acadia Parishes. Because the water is still rising slowly, we do not expect to see significant improvements until next week in these areas. Major flooding on Bayou des Cannes near Eunice is near it’s crest, very close to the record flood of 22.36 ft from May 20, 1953. Unfortunately, this river is expected to stay above major flood stage into this weekend.
