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Severe weather likely across state
By Matthew Watkins
| Date: March 18, 2008 |  |
A risk of severe weather across the state has prompted Gov. Rick Perry to mobilize the College Station-based Texas Task Force 1. Forecasts call for flooding in areas around Austin, San Antonio and Ft. Worth, according to the National Weather Service. Meteorologists predict a risk of tornadoes spanning from the along the Interstate 35 corridor from the Oklahoma border to Brownsville. Tornado risks do not extend to the Brazos Valley, the National Weather Service said Monday evening, but heavy rain and thunderstorms are predicted throughout the area Tuesday. "They are going to be fast-moving storms with heavy rain," said Robert Vanhoven, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service. "Still, the most severe threats of floods will be in other parts of the state." Vanhoven predicted between one and three inches of rain for the region, with a few local spots getting as much as four inches. Texas Task Force 1, a division of the Texas A&M University System's Texas Engineering Extension Service, has activated 80 team members who are prepared to conduct swift-water rescue and search and rescue operations. The group of highly trained volunteers from first responders across the state met in College Station on Monday afternoon, gathering equipment and organizing personnel. Two squads each have been placed in Austin, San Antonio and Ft. Worth, officials said. Authorities suggested that people across the state monitor the weather Tuesday and look out for warning issued by the National Weather Service. "It should have passed through in a day, and Wednesday will be OK," Vanhoven said. "Tuesday is a different story, though." For updates, go to http://weather.theeagle.com/US/TX/College_Station.html or www.nws.noaa.gov.