The watch runs from 7 a.m. Tuesday through 1 p.m. Wednesday, covering Bailey, Cochran and Lamb counties in northwest Texas and Castro, Parmer and Swisher counties in the southern Panhandle. Forecasters say runoff from heavy rain could push rivers, creeks and streams out of their banks. Low-lying and flood-prone spots across those six counties face the highest risk.
The NWS says flooding may develop as the rain keeps falling through the watch period. No specific towns or roads got called out in the alert, just the six counties on the list.
For folks in those areas, this means paying attention to the sky and steering clear of spots that flood easy, ditches, low crossings, anything near a creek bed. A flood watch means conditions are ripe for flooding, not that it's happening yet, so there's still time to plan around it. Farmers and anyone driving rural roads in Bailey, Cochran, Lamb, Castro, Parmer or Swisher counties should keep an eye on local forecasts as Wednesday's deadline approaches.
Six counties, one soggy stretch of the Panhandle border, and a 31-hour window where the weather service says the ground could give out before the rain does.