The deadly floods that struck Texas on the 4th of July caught local officials off guard as the torrential rains caused the Guadalupe River to rise to near-historic levels in a matter of minutes, officials said at a press conference Saturday.

Before heading to bed before the Fourth of July holiday, Christopher Flowers checked the weather while staying at a friend’s house along the Guadalupe River. Nothing in the forecast alarmed him. Hours later,

Tropical Storm Chantal is expected to produce heavy rainfall across portions of the coastal plain of the Carolinas through Monday. Storm total rainfall of 2 to 4 inches, with local amounts up to 6 inches, is expected. This rainfall will result in an elevated risk for flash flooding.

The heaviest rain from Tropical Storm Chantal is expected in North Carolina on Sunday, then across eastern Virginia, Southern Maryland and Delaware on Monday.

forecast: tropical storm, drought monitor, showers and storms, seasonal steam and heat, highs in the upper 80s to lower 90s

I'm tracking scattered storms lasting into the evening, slowly falling apart through the overnight hours. Temperatures will be dropping into the low 70s by the end of the night as winds shift into the northwest at 7-10 mph with gusts up to 15 mph.

Tropical Depression Three, currently off the northern Florida and Georgia coast, is slowly drifting north-northwest, drawing in deep tropical moisture across th