National Weather Service Confirms Tornado Touchdown in Mt. Enterprise

In the wake of Wednesday's severe storms, the National Weather Service out of Shreveport has confirmed that the damage in and around Mount Enterprise was that of an EF1 tornado, with estimated winds between 86 and 110 mph.

(Note: This is the image captured on StormTracker Live Doppler Network minutes before the line of storms produced a tornado around Mount Enterprise this past Wednesday.)

According to the National Weather Service, an EF1 tornado touched down just to the southwest of Mount Enterprise in southern Rusk county at 10:32am. The tornado moved through town and stayed on the ground for one and a half miles and had a path width of 175 yards.

Some of the damage consisted of a large tree falling on a house, while another residence had a carport torn off, injuring one person.

The National Weather Service also found that numerous trees were snapped and uprooted throughout the town. There was also a small retail building that had their roof torn off and throw across State Highway 259.

Heavy Rain and Strong Storms Likely Tomorrow

A strong area of low pressure will be moving into West Texas later tonight, setting the stage for some widespread, heavy rainfall to move back into the Piney Woods on Wednesday.

Therefore, make sure you have your umbrellas on hand tomorrow because you will more than likely need it on more than one occasion.
Our first wave of rain moved in today, providing around a quarter of an inch in some locations.

We will see the rainfall become more heavy and widespread tomorrow as a surface low pressure system and warm front lift through East Texas.
Due to the slow movement of this storm, widespread 1-2" rainfall amounts are likely, with some areas possibly receiving 3-4" where the heavier rain bands develop.

The clouds and light showers will linger through Thursday before gradual clearing takes place by the end of the week.

One of the concerns with this storm, however, is the threat for severe weather. While we just have a "slight" risk for severe thunderstorms, any storms that do move in on Wednesday afternoon will be capable of producing damaging winds and even an isolated tornado.

To stay on top of any weather developments on Wednesday, make sure you keep it tuned to KTRE-TV and ktre.com. You can also follow us through our social media networks in Facebook (facebook.com/KTREweather) and Twitter (twitter.com/KTREweather) for all your weather needs.

Drought Conditions Improve Here at Home and Statewide As Well

After heavy rains throughout the month of December and in early 2012, much of Deep East Texas have seen an improvement in the ongoing drought.

The latest U.S. Drought Monitor shows that areas from Henderson to Carthage to Nacogdoches and down towards Livingston have seen the drought stage go from extreme to severe. This is an improvement of one category, going from a stage three to a stage two. At the same time, areas in Cherokee, Rusk, Jasper, and Newton counties have been upgraded from a stage four exceptional drought to a stage three extreme drought.

The only area that is still in the worse possible drought category (stage four, exceptional drought) is in western Houston county and western Trinity county.

This improvement in the drought has not just been confined to East Texas, but for the entire Lone Star State. Just three months ago, 73% of the state was in a stage four exceptional drought. At the present time, that percentage has been reduced to 25%. The stage three extreme drought has been reduced from 92% to 63% in the same three month time period and the stage two severe drought has been trimmed from near 100% to just under 63%.

While the improvement has been nice to see, we still have a long ways to go before we can catch up on several years worth of rainfall and erase the deficit.

In the meantime, the recent downpours have led to every county being burn ban free, ponds filling up with water, and water restrictions being lifted.

Let's hope that Mother Nature offers East Texas more beneficial rainfall in the months to come. Otherwise, the drought could worsen and more problems would rear their ugly head once again.

First Significant Rain of 2012 on the Way

After enjoying nearly seven inches of rain this past December, the rain faucets have dried up for the past couple of weeks.

However, it looks as if our first significant rain event for the new year is just day's away and it could not come at a better time considering we are still in a severe drought.

If you recall, December was wet because we had an active jet stream overhead, bringing us heavy rain from low pressure systems located to our west.

After Christmas, the weather pattern changed and shifted back to the one we saw most of last year. You remember that one, right? The one where we saw dry conditions and unseasonably warm weather. That is why temperatures, by in large, have been warmer than normal over the past week and is also why we have been dry for a couple of weeks now.

Our computer models are showing things may be looking up once again, in regards to better rain chances returning to the Piney Woods.

The Setup

The graphic image above shows what the upper level wind pattern will look like by Monday evening of next week. Notice that we are expecting a potent area of low pressure to set up shop in West Texas. Due to its position to our west, we will be able to see the moisture levels increase signficantly, aiding the development of widespread rainfall. Anytime we are east of low pressure, we have a good shot at rain as that is the favorable area for lift and precipitation.

Heavy Rainfall Amounts Possible

The rainfall for Monday and Tuesday of next week will be heavy and it looks as if we will see not one, but perhaps two days of beneficial rainfall. The biggest factor as to why we will see some good rain amounts is due to the fact that this low pressure system will slow down and be slow to move across the state. Anytime you get a slow moving system, the potential for heavy rain is there.

It's early, but the prognostications at this point indicate 1-2" of rain are likely with this next storm system next week. We anticipate the rain starting as early as Sunday night before coming to an end Tuesday evening.

Make sure you find that umbrella for early next week because you will need it.

Stay with StormTracker 9 weather. We will continue to keep you updated on our heavy rain threat for early next week. I know I'm excited to see more wet weather head our way after a break in the action.