Flood Threat Expands From Texas and the Gulf Coast to the Carolinas With Heavy Rain Expected

• by Shimanta Das
• October 4, 2026

The flood threat is widening across the southern United States, with heavy rain expected to stretch from Texas and the Gulf Coast all the way to the Carolinas. Key West was swamped by intense rain, shattering an 83-year-old record, as Florida braces for more downpours. The multi-day flood event, which ramped up on Monday, Sept. 22, has already caused significant damage and at least one fatality, with authorities warning the casualty toll will likely rise as localities beyond the main disaster site in Kerr County are affected.

Record late-September tropical moisture, partially from the remnant of former Hurricane Polo, flowed northward into the nation’s heartland, soaking parts of the Southwest and Plains from Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas to Nebraska. In Texas, a Fort Worth firefighter was captured on video lifting a woman to safety as floods swamped the area. While the main highway from San Antonio to affected regions remained mainly intact, some two-lane bridges were severely damaged by water, complicating rescue and recovery efforts. The Weather Prediction Center is maintaining a slight risk of excessive rainfall for areas near the central Gulf Coast, the Florida Panhandle, and the lower Texas Gulf Coast, with the potential for flash and urban flooding in vulnerable areas.

Meanwhile, cities like Shreveport are more than 3 inches below their September average and are heading into October on the wrong side of the scale, highlighting the uneven distribution of this rainfall. The heat will also remain significant overnight, with temperatures in the Los Angeles and San Diego metropolitan areas expected to stay in the mid- to upper 70s, offering limited relief from the daytime heat. The unusual warmth will not remain confined to California, as above-normal temperatures persist across much of the South. As the system continues to evolve, residents from Texas to the Carolinas should stay alert for rapidly changing conditions and heed local evacuation orders.