New storm barrage could cause more floods in South

The soggy Gulf Coast braced for another barrage of storms Thursday that could send already-swollen rivers over their banks and into people's homes. Forecasters warned possible tornadoes and damaging hail could accompany severe thunderstorms expected to sweep across the Southeast.

The National Weather Service issued flood warnings for the Tallahassee area and cities around Florida's central Panhandle, wary of strong thunderstorms forecast to move into the area. Meteorologists called for between 2 and 4 inches of rain though some midday sunshine peeked from clouds ahead of the approaching front.

"Our primary concern today is more flash flooding," said public safety director Dino Villani of Okaloosa County, which includes Fort Walton Beach. "Very little rain can cause a lot of problems."

Villani said officials were closely monitoring the development of storms after his county's swift water rescue team helped 15 residents from waterlogged homes after flash floods Saturday.

The Blackwater River, which runs through the Panhandle's Santa Rosa County, was expected to crest at 8 feet Thursday afternoon, the same height it reached Monday. Emergency officials urged residents along that river to take precautions.

All along the low-lying Gulf Coast on an arc from Florida to Louisiana, authorities were watching.

To the west in St. Tammany Parish, La., emergency officials remained on alert for any flooding from the Pearl River, already driven by previous days' storms to more than four feet above flood stage at about 19 feet Wednesday.

"We're not expecting significant house flooding. We're expecting significant street flooding," Parish spokeswoman Suzanne Stymiest said. "But it's hard to predict."

The National Weather Service said the Pearl River — which forms part of the Mississippi-Louisiana state line — appeared to crest Thursday morning at 19.2 feet, below a record 21.05 feet reached in April 1983 that caused damaging flooding. Heavy rains swamped some low-lying roads and prompted flash flood warnings in scattered Louisiana coastal communities.

Even light rainfall could add to the woes of already drenched areas. Parts of the Southeast have seen nearly a foot of rainfall in recent days, and a few areas had upward of 17 inches. Scores of people were evacuated, but most have returned to their homes.

"All the rivers are still so swollen that it's not going to take a lot of rain to bring them back up," said weather service meteorologist Jeff Garmon in Mobile, Ala.