Flash flood watch issued for Bexar County in anticipation of heavy rainfall

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The National Weather Service issued a flash flood watch for Bexar County in anticipation of heavy rainfall and thunderstorms scheduled to hit the area on Friday.

The rain is predicted to begin falling on the area late Thursday, as a cold front and upper-level disturbance interact to produce showers and thunderstorms.

RELATED: NWS: Heavy rains could cause minor flooding later this week

According to the weather service, the rainfall will be heaviest Friday afternoon through Friday night, possibly into Saturday morning. Between 3 and 5 inches of rain is predicted for the area. Areas east of Interstate 35 and Interstate 37 could see anywhere between 4 and 6 inches.

Even though Bexar County has been relatively dry over recent weeks, the massive amount of rainfall the county received this fall has contributed to high levels of soil moisture, which means an increased likelihood of flooding.

“Quick runoff could begin developing Friday afternoon through Friday night, especially where pockets of heavier rainfall set up. This could eventually produce flooding of creeks, smaller tributaries, low water crossings, and urban areas normally subject to flooding,” reads an updated news release from the weather service.

Because of this, a flash flood watch has been issued for Bexar County and several other counties along the I-35 corridor, as well as others to the west of Bexar County.

Specifically, the San Antonio River, lower Guadalupe River and Colorado River are at risk of minor to moderate flooding.

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Serious amounts of rainfall are predicted to douse the county, but meteorologists are increasingly confident the rain will not be joined by severe thunderstorms.

“If any strong to severe storms develop straight-line winds and small hail would be the impacts across far southeastern counties Friday afternoon and evening,” the service says. “The Storm Prediction Center continues to place this area in a only a Marginal risk for severe storms.”

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Caleb Downs covers crime in San Antonio and Bexar County. Read him on our breaking news sitemySA.com, and on our subscriber siteExpressNews.com | 
cdowns@mysa.com | @calebjdowns