(March 31, 2008)—The spring weather is responsible for at least one death in Texas.
Authorities say a man died Sunday when floodwaters swept his car off a highway as a storm dumped more than 10 inches of rain on parts of Southeast Texas.
Wallace Williams drowned when he couldn't escape from the car after an overflowing creek swept it off Texas 21 near San Augustine, said San Augustine County Justice of the Peace Sheila Ponder.
Another man in the car with Williams managed to escape and was rescued, Ponder said.
Rains pounded the area near the Louisiana border for several hours Sunday.
Ponder said one person reported getting 20 inches of rain.
The National Weather Service put the official total at 10-14 inches over a two-day period.
There’s a 60 percent chance of rain Monday in Central Texas, and a slight risk of severe weather, although the heaviest activity is likely to develop in North Texas.
The spring storms prompted the Governor’s Division of Emergency Management to issue a reminder Monday to drivers of the dangers of driving on flooded roadways.
The GDEM says as little as inches of water on a roadway can cause a loss of traction and a skid and 12 inches of water is enough to float a car.
Two-feet of rushing water can carry off pickups, SUVs and most other vehicles, the GDEM says.
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