Cold weather is moving in after heavy rains hit Tyler and East Texas

Published 1:10 pm Monday, December 28, 2015

By BY ADAM RUSSELL, arussell@tylerpaper.com

A wrecker crew from P&O Motors in Lindale who declined to provide their names winch a car onto a flatbed under the Interstate 20 overpass west of Lindale on Monday. The car reportedly was abandoned due to rising water Sunday caused by heavy rains as a storm front moved through the area. Andrew D. Brosig/Tyler Morning Telegraph

Winter weather is expected to arrive after a weekend of severe rains in East Texas.

East Texas experienced a deluge over the past two days, according to National Weather Service Hydrologist C.S. Ross. Rain gauges at Tyler Pounds Regional Airport showed more than five inches fell Sunday. In Quitman, northwest of Tyler in Wood County, more than nine inches reportedly fell over Saturday and Sunday, he said.

Smith County reported Road and Bridge crews are working to repair three roads washed out by Sunday’s rains in the northwestern part of the county.

County Engineer Frank Davis said County Road 419, just south of Interstate 20, is their first priority and would reopen later today. CR 434, one mile north of I-20 and CR 415, just west of the 9600 block of CR 415, also experienced wash outs or collapsed culverts.

Roads throughout the county – mostly in the northwestern part of the county — still have high water running over them and shouldn’t be crossed. Davis said crews would not know if those roads have been damaged until the water recedes.



A few city streets were closed in Tyler because of flooding, including part of Old Bascom Road from Shiloh Road to Old Omen Road.

Oncor spokesman Charles Hill said a few hundred residents are still without power in the Tyler/Smith County area. He said high winds caused most of the power outages but that the East Texas region fared well with only a few thousand homes going without power at any given time during the past two days. The Tyler Senior Center closed today due to a power outage, according to a news release issued by the city of Tyler.

Most of the severe weather passed north of Tyler.

One confirmed tornado was reported in southern Hopkins County Saturday as a line of storms moved through north Texas.

Multiple tornadoes were blamed for 11 deaths near Dallas and widespread flooding and submerged roads were reported from west of Dallas to Texarkana.

Freezing temperatures are expected overnight and later in the week. Ross said to expect highs in the low 50s and lows at or below freezing throughout the next several days.

Twitter: @newsboyAdam