Overnight storms flood roads, knock out power in Jim Wells County

Floodwater and storm debris were waiting for Alice commuters before sunrise, with standing water in streets, branches in the road and one resident finding a tree down beside her car after a hard overnight rain.

Iris Lozano said the rain and thunder were loud around 2 to 3 a.m., then the morning commute brought the damage into view. She said she saw floodwater, branches and debris in the roadway, and that a tree had fallen next to her car without striking it. By the time she drove in, the roads were already telling the story of a fast-moving storm that made familiar routes unsafe in the dark.

The National Weather Service in Corpus Christi said another nocturnal mesoscale convective system moved through South Texas for the third night in a row, with a Flood Watch in effect area-wide through Monday, May 25, because repeated rounds of storms carried at least a marginal to slight risk of flash flooding. In parts of the Brush Country and Coastal Plains, one-hour flash-flood guidance was as low as 2 to 2.5 inches, a sign that heavy rain could quickly overwhelm drainage in low-lying areas.

The rainfall totals showed how widespread the system was across Jim Wells County and nearby communities. Alice had recorded 4.19 inches by 10:02 a.m. CDT on May 21, while Orange Grove 4.3 southwest had 5.91 inches, Palito Blanco 1.0 east-southeast had 5.63 inches, and 1.8 north of Sandia had 4.49 inches. Those totals were high enough to keep streets soggy, ditches full and creek levels rising well after the worst of the rain moved on.

Gabriel Arrollo said the creek water near his workplace was “pretty high,” even as he welcomed the rain after months of dry conditions. That mix of relief and concern has become familiar across the Brush Country, where heavy overnight rain can quickly turn from a needed soak to a transportation hazard. Lozano said neighbors were already repeating the same warning that has saved lives before: “turn around, don’t drown.”