Flood watches have been issued for areas of central and northern Texas, since Tropical Storm Bill came ashore and makes its way up the state. Rainfall of 4-8 inches is forecast in a band stretching from Texas up to Missouri, with some areas receiving up to 12 inches, according to the National Weather Service.
"These rains may produce life-threatening flash floods," the service's forecasters say.
Right now, Bill is rated as a tropical depression. It made landfall Tuesday afternoon and is moving northward at 13 mph, soaking a path through Waco and Dallas-Fort Worth — areas whose lakes and rivers have already been swollen with heavy rains in recent weeks.
In its early stages at least, Bill didn't bring the devastating rainfall that had been feared — although strong winds did knock out power in some areas.
From member station KUT in Austin, reporter Mose Buchele tells our Newscast unit:
"As it slowly churned north, the storm produced some heavy rains and but no serious floods.
"Jeff Linder, a meteorologist with the Harris County Flood Control District in Houston, says, 'We just haven't had the rainfall specifically in Harris County to even produce a lot of street flooding.'"
In addition to rainfall that could come at 1 inch per hour, the National Weather Service says isolated tornadoes could also form along its path.
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