Low pressure system brings chance of rain to Valley

HARLINGEN, Texas (ValleyCentral) — The National Hurricane Center has shifted its yellow blob a little regarding a broad area of low pressure that is in the Bay of Campeche this morning. There is still a very low (20%) chance of it developing into a tropical depression or storm before moving inland late Friday somewhere along the Northeastern Mexican or South Texas Coast.

The computer model spaghetti plotting has shifted movement more northwards towards the Mexican coast, between Tampico and the mouth of the Rio Grande River. The spaghetti plotting shows the general trend of movement for the area of low pressure. The small chances of development are due to marginally conducive conditions in the Gulf for anything to get too organized, plus the limited time before it pushes on shore.

Basically, this system looks like it may be a decent rainmaker for us on Friday and into early Saturday. We are not anticipating any severe weather. However, since our rains will be fueled by tropical moisture, we could see some locally heavy rain. That is why the National Weather Prediction Center has much of the Valley in a "Marginal Risk" for excessive rain on Friday. The possible locally heavy rain could lead to some ponding of water and nuisance flooding in low-lying areas that usually see standing water during downpours. With any thunderstorms, there could also be strong, gusty winds and frequent lightning.

When the rains do begin early in the day on Friday, we can expect scattered showers and thunderstorms; not an all-day rain event. While we expect to see the higher rain totals closer to the coast and the Lower Valley, we could see isolated spots further inland that get a quick downpour. Rain chances taper off Saturday morning. Your Valley Storm Team will continue to monitor conditions and keep you updated.