Breakfast Brief: South flood threat continues

Persistent showers and thunderstorms keep the flash flood threat in place across the South, while a heat wave with record-breaking temperatures shifts to the northern High Plains.

Significant flash flooding was reported across several Texas communities on Wednesday after persistent heavy rains affected the region. The rain is from a stubborn stalled front dropped across Texas to the Mid-Atlantic that continues to set a favorable environment for showers and thunderstorms. These conditions are likely to continue through the weekend with more rounds of storms likely through the weekend.

Meanwhile, a heat wave that brought scorching temperatures to portions of the Pacific Northwest has migrated east of the Rockies and is firmly taking hold across the High Plains. Record-high daily temperatures are possible in multiple cities, such as Billings, Mont., Casper, Wyo., and Rapid City, S.D., where temperatures over 100°F are expected. The extreme heat wave will gradually lose intensity in other Western locations, such as the San Joaquin Valley and Intermountain Region.

Showers and thunderstorms associated with a low-pressure area southwest of Manzanillo, Mexico, have become more organized and have a 50% chance of developing into a tropical depression within the next two days as it moves westward at 15 mph. Meanwhile, a tropical wave located over 1,000 miles southwest of Baja California remains disorganized with a low chance of development.

In the western Pacific, Typhoon Gaemi, also known as Carina, has caused extreme flooding in the Philippines and impacted Taiwan with winds up to 129 mph. It is expected to make landfall in eastern China early Thursday with winds near 75 mph.

When heat builds, and a front nears, the atmosphere's natural response is to produce storms. Under the right conditions, these storms can become intense or even damaging. Always stay storm-aware with our automated alert system. Here's how you can turn it on!