Heavy rains are expected to fall in Southeast Texas through midday Sunday as the remnants of Hurricane Patricia combined with a powerful storm system that has flooded roads in the state and caused a freight train to derail.
The focus Sunday is along the state’s Gulf Coast. Areas near Houston received up to 20 centimeters (8 inches) of rain Saturday and forecasters warned of flooding with the potential for another 10 centimeters (4 inches) before dry weather moves in Monday.
Mayor Annise Parker warned residents to stay away from wet roads after dark and be aware of flash floods, which the National Weather Service said were occurring in the city early Sunday. No one was reported hurt, but several motorists were stranded.
WATCH: Related video from Texas flooding, Hurricane Patricia damage
Flash-flood watch
Forecasters say Houston and Galveston remain under a flash flood watch through Monday morning.
In Galveston, authorities urged voluntary evacuation of the elderly and residents with medical issues on the Bolivar Peninsula near Galveston Bay.
The storms could hinder transportation to and from the peninsula. Power outages are also possible as a result of gale force winds, authorities said.
Meanwhile, the storm system that had been dumping rain on parts of Texas since Friday caused flooding that blocked several major roadways and caused the derailment of a train.
A Union Pacific freight train derailed before dawn Saturday near Corsicana, about 50 miles south of Dallas, because a creek overflowed and washed away the tracks, said Jeff DeGraff, a railroad spokesman. The two crew members swam to safety and nobody was hurt, he said.
One of the hardest-hit areas has been the town of Corsicana, about 90 kilometers (50 miles) southeast of Dallas, where more than 50 centimeters (20 inches) of rain has fallen since Thursday.
In Mexico
Also, there were no reports of injuries from Mexico’s Jalisco state where Hurricane Patricia came ashore as the strongest storm ever recorded in the Western Hemisphere.
Patricia made landfall Friday along Mexico's Pacific Coast as a Category 5 storm.
The hurricane struck a sparsely populated stretch of the coast and quickly dissipated Saturday.
The popular beach city of Puerto Vallarta and the port city of Manzanillo were spared the brunt of the violent weather.
Authorities had relocated coastal residents, evacuated tourists and closed seaports and airports in preparation for the storm that at one point had maximum winds of up to 325 kilometers per hour.
Some material for this report came from AP and Reuters.
