National Weather Service Issues Fort Worth Weather Flood Advisory for Three Counties

Fort Worth Weather turned wet Tuesday afternoon as the National Weather Service in San Angelo issued a flood advisory for portions of west central Texas, including Coke, Runnels and Tom Green counties. The advisory runs until 3:45 p.m. after thunderstorms brought heavy rain and minor flooding.

Doppler radar showed 0.5 to 1 inch of rain had already fallen by 12:39 p.m., and another 0.75 to 1.5 inches was possible through the afternoon. Water was reported over some roadways, and the advisory covered low-lying areas, poor drainage spots and low-water crossings.

San Angelo flood advisory area

The advisory included northeastern San Angelo, Miles, Orient, Tennyson, Grape Creek, O.C. Fisher Reservoir, San Angelo State Park, Rowena and Harriet. It also covered FM 1692 at Concho River, The Draw and Sales Branch, Saynor at Mule Creek, River Road at Indian Creek, County Road 364, County Road 194 and Red Bank at Red Bank Creek.

Poverty Canyon and Mule Creek Road at Mule Creek were also listed in the advisory area. The warning from the National Weather Service said most flood deaths occur in vehicles, and it urged motorists to turn around, don’t drown, and avoid driving through flooded roads.

Heavy rain and road risk

The rainfall had already pushed some water onto roadways before the advisory was issued, and the forecast called for more rain through the afternoon. That left drivers in the affected counties with a narrow margin on roads where water can rise quickly at low-water crossings and in poor drainage areas.

For anyone traveling through the advisory zone before 3:45 p.m., the practical step is simple: avoid flooded roads and use another route if water covers pavement. The National Weather Service kept the advisory in place for the counties and crossings already hit by the heaviest rain, not for the region as a whole.