South Texas bracing for more flash flooding; governor bolsters emergency response

San Antonio and Corpus Christi are among the cities under a flood threat.

Heavy rain in parts of southern Texas is prompting flash-flood threats that are expected to stretch into Monday and could produce rainfall totals of 7 to 9 inches.

A flood watch remains in effect after multiple days of rainstorms have saturated the ground across the South Texas region.

Corpus Christi, Laredo, San Antonio, Brownsville and Kerrville are among the South Texas cities under a flood watch through Monday morning, where widespread rainfall amounts of 2 to 5 inches are likely. Some areas could receive 7 to 9 inches of rainfall from slower-moving and training storms.

Some areas of South Texas have already gotten more than 5 inches of rain since Sunday morning, including areas east of Laredo to near Kingsville.

Moderate to heavy rainfall is expected through Sunday evening for some parts of southern Texas that will linger into Monday morning's commute.

For the remainder of Sunday, a level 2 of 4 threat for flash flooding is in effect across southern Texas, including Brownsville, Corpus Christi, San Antonio and Kerrville. Rainfall rates at times could reach 1 to 2 inches per hour.

On Friday, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott directed the Texas Division of Emergency Management (TDEM) to bolster its emergency response to the ongoing flooding threat.

"The State of Texas is prepared to respond to the threat of heavy rainfall and flash floods across South and West Texas," Abbott said in a statement. "I directed the Texas Division of Emergency Management to mobilize additional state emergency response resources to support local officials and help protect Texans. I urge all Texans to remain weather-aware, monitor local forecasts, avoid flooded roadways, and heed guidance from state and local officials."

The flooding threat in Texas comes just days after catastrophic flooding along the Tennessee-Georgia border, prompting numerous water rescues, officials said.

Emergency officials ordered residents in McCaysville, Ga., and Copperhill, Tenn., to evacuate on Thursday.

The two cities experienced catastrophic flooding after 6 to 9 inches of rain fell over several hours, leading the Ocoee River to rise to a record 18.05 feet. The Ocoee River's previous record crest was 17.8 feet, reached on Feb. 16, 1990.