The remnants of Hurricane Norma, in combination with a storm system that is expected to push out of the Rockies, promise to create rounds of precipitation over the southern Plains through the upcoming week.
The combination of precipitation is expected to produce 2-5 inches of rainfall for large parts of West Texas, Oklahoma and even southern Kansas.
Norma became a powerful Category 4 hurricane in the eastern Pacific before becoming the third cyclone to impact Mexico within the last two weeks.
Like many other tropical cyclones that impact the country, the high terrain is expected to quickly tear the system apart, leaving behind its moisture shield that’ll work into the U.S. over the next few days.
“If there’s any little baby silver lining in all of this, it’s that the remnants of Norman should actually produce some welcomed rain for the Lone Star state of Texas,” said FOX Weather meteorologist Michael Estime.
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Rainfall is expected to begin in earnest Monday in Texas before spreading northward Tuesday.
Forecast models show a batch of secondary moisture Wednesday that could be the heaviest. Flooding is possible where too much rain overwhelms drainage infrastructure.
Communities west of Dallas and southwest of Oklahoma City are believed to be in the target zone for where the heaviest rain could fall.
Isolated amounts through Thursday could reach higher than 5 inches in rural Texas and Oklahoma before drier air works into the region at the end of the workweek.
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The rains are undoubtedly welcome news to communities that have been dealing with drought conditions, water restrictions and even crop failures.
More than 88% of Texas counties are experiencing abnormally dry conditions, with similar figures in Oklahoma.
Dallas has seen a rainfall deficit of more than 13 inches this year, while Austin is behind on precipitation by nearly a foot.
The precipitation will not be enough to end the drought, however. Many communities will likely finish the year with rainfall deficits.