BIG COUNTRY, Texas (BigCountryHomepage.com) – It is no secret that the Big Country, along with much of Texas, is in desperate need of rain. Just one look at the Texas drought monitor will illustrate that to you in, quite literal flying colors.

Last week, an area of low pressure, which was originally forecasted to bring drought-denting rain to the Big Country, spun to our north and east. This system brought torrential rain and devastating flooding to our neighbors in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. While all hope seemed lost to see healthy rain here at home, Monday arrived with moisture in tow.

Rain and thunderstorm activity picked up Monday evening and lasted through the overnight hours. Over the course of five hours, the National Weather Service office in San Angelo issued seven areal flood advisories for the Big Country and Heartland.

2022 Yearly precipitation data

Abilene Regional Airport, our official measurement source, received close to two inches (1.84″) on August 29. This is the largest one-day accumulation the airport has seen all year. The last time we saw over one inch of precipitation was September 30, 2021. As of 10:00 a.m. Tuesday morning, 2.41 inches of rain has been measured at Abilene Regional. Totals across the Big Country spanned from half-an-inch to some areas receiving over four inches of rain.

The chance for rain didn’t end Tuesday morning. Weather forecast models were showing a less widespread chance through Tuesday afternoon, with the rain becoming more scattered in nature. A few areas could easily pick up another hundredth to possibly a couple tenths of an inch.

We pick up the rain chances again on Wednesday and Thursday. The airmass in place across the Big Country looked to provide the needed moisture to support more rain. This abundant moisture could lead to heavier pockets of rain and more rounds of street flooding, depending on where those clusters of heavier rain set up.

Rain chances will continue through the rest of the week and into the weekend, but should be significantly lower. With lingering moisture in the air, each day will carry about a 20% chance for isolated to scattered shower activity.

As for the extended future, the Climate Prediction Center continues to have the Big Country expecting an “above normal” chance to see more rain in both the 6-10 day outlook and the 8-14 day outlook. While it is far too early to tell, KTAB and KRBC’s top notch meteorologists will continue to watch and stay cautiously optimistic for more rain.