LIVE: Get the latest on school delays, flooding and weekend weather forecast

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Still looking for the right gift for mom on Mother’s Day? Get her something she needs, like an umbrella.

Officials at the National Weather Service in Corpus Christi say there’s an ongoing threat of severe weather Friday for much of South Texas. The rainy, blustery weather was expected to continue through Mother’s Day weekend.

Heavy rain already moved through overnight leading to Friday morning school delays for several districts including Flour Bluff, Tuloso-Midway and Port Aransas. 

Flooding was reported around Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi. The university delayed opening until 9 a.m. and urged students and faculty to use caution driving to campus or to take alternate routes.

Officials at Corpus Christi ISD and Gregory-Portland ISD each said they planned to stay on regular school day schedules.

The rain made some roads impassable, creating havoc for morning commuters. Some motorists tried to navigate flooded streets in the south and west sides of Corpus Christi with mixed results.

On Rodd Field Road, several vehicles could be seen stalled and disabled, deep water filling up their wheel wells.

As much as 6 inches was anticipated for El Campo, Victoria and Rockport. Communities south of there, including Corpus Christi, Alice and Beeville, were expected to get 3-4 inches.

AEP Texas crews continue to respond to outages throughout the Coastal Bend area as heavy rains swept through the area Thursday night and continued early this morning, AEP officials stated. As of 7:30 a.m., nearly 7,000 customers remained without power.

Some outages include 2,150 in southside Corpus Christi, 1,350 in Kingsville, 1,650 in Victoria and 500 in Aransas Pass.

Gray rain clouds have hovered over the Corpus Christi area for the last couple weeks, but have seemingly been slow to make good on threats to dump heavy rain on the region.

Until now.

The strong tempest rolled into the area early Friday morning. Loud, rumbling thunder claps could be heard in the Corpus Christi area around 3:30 a.m., setting off car alarms and frightening dogs sleeping outdoors. It didn’t let up until sunrise.

More: South Texas weather: Another round of storms expected with a cold front

A flash flood watch was in effect for much of the Coastal Bend through Saturday.

High temperatures were expected to hit the mid 70s on Friday and near 80 on Saturday and Sunday. 

The chance of rain is slated to diminish to 20 percent by Sunday, Monday and Tuesday.

Also keeping an eye on the weather are the crews working on the Harbor Bridge replacement project.

The massive $930 million effort broke ground in August 2016 and aims to replace the span that connects Corpus Christi’s northside with North Beach with a modern cable-stayed bridge.

“We are constantly monitoring weather situations as they arise,” said Lorette Williams, a spokeswoman for the project. “In extreme weather instances, we immediately take action to ensure our crews working outdoors are safe. “Depending on the situation, employees that typically work outdoors will be brought indoors for training and safety classes or may be released from their work duties until it is safe to return to regular work activities.”

This is a developing story. Check back to Caller.com for updates.

Chris Ramirez writes about energy, commerce and all things business. Help support local journalism with a digital subscription to the Caller-Times.  

WHO’S UNDER A FLASH FLOOD WATCH?

The National Weather Service in Corpus Christi on Thursday issued a flash flood watch for the following areas* through Saturday:

  • Bee County
  • Aransas County
  • Calhoun County
  • Kleberg County
  • Nueces County
  • Refugio County
  • San Patricio County
  • Goliad County
  • Jim Wells County
  • Victoria County

* Includes coastal and inland areas.

LOOKING AHEAD

Here’s what to expect for the few days:

  • Friday  Showers and thunderstorms that produce heavy rain. High near 73 degrees during the day, 69 at night. Winds around 15 mph, with 20-mph gusts. New rainfall amounts between a half and three quarters of an inch possible.
  • Saturday  Showers and thunderstorms likely; 80 percent chance of precipitation. Cloudy all day, with a daytime high near 80. Lows in the mid 60s. 
  • Sunday  Chance of rain falling to 20 percent. Partly sunny, with a high near 80. North wind 9 to 11 mph. Lows around 70 at night.
  • Monday  A 20-percent chance of showers and thunderstorms during the day, increasing to 30 percent by night time. Partly sunny, with a high near 82. Low around 72.
  • Tuesday  A 40-percent chance of showers and thunderstorms during the day, decreasing to 30 percent by night fall. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 82. Lows around 73.
  • Wednesday  A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 82.

Related links

More: Corpus Christi voters approved a sales tax for the seawall. Should it go to streets?

More: South Texas weather forecast: First comes thunderstorms, then sunshine

More: What roads are prone to flooding in Corpus Christi?

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