Over 20 Inches of Rain Triggers Historic Flash Flooding In Parts of the South

Sarah Yatcko, left, holds her son Tucker Neal as they are evacuated by boat with her father Jim Yatcko, by Bossier Parish Sheriff personnel during rising floodwaters in Bossier Parish, La., Thursday, March 10, 2016. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

weather.com - by Quincy Vagell and Chris Dolce and Jon Erdman - March 10, 2016

Torrential rainfall continues to swamp parts of the South, smashing March records, and triggering major flash flooding and worsening river flooding in parts of Louisiana, Texas, Arkansas and Mississippi. Heavy rain has also spread into parts of western Tennessee, western Kentucky, and western Mississippi.

More than 20 inches of rain had fallen near Monroe, Louisiana, by Thursday morning, prompting numerous rescues. The official airport reporting station in Monroe had picked up 18.96 inches of rain in less than two days by 12 p.m. CST Thursday. This is closing in on the record wettest month for that location set in October 2009 when 20.56 inches was recorded.

Major flooding has also swamped the Shreveport, Louisiana, area where up to 16 inches of rain has fallen. Elsewhere, double-digit rainfall totals have been recorded in east Texas, southern Arkansas, and northwest Mississippi.

Record flooding is now forecast along a stretch of the Sabine River next week along the Texas/Louisiana border, due to record releases from Toledo Bend Reservoir, first put in service in 1966. In some locations, the river may see levels not seen since 1884.

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