Texas dries out after weekend rains

J.B. Neckar, right, and his brother Johnny Neckar, left, paddle their mother Gelene Neckar, center, from her flooded home near Downsville, Texas, Saturday, October 24, 2015.

The rain in Texas began to lighten Sunday morning, and the National Weather Service listed most of the state’s flood warnings and watches.

Heavy rains fueled by the meeting of two strong storm systems, one the remnants of Hurricane Patricia, pounded southeastern Texas on Saturday, triggering flash floods and derailing a freight train as the heavy weather tracked toward Houston.

Tides along the southern coast of Louisiana were expected to be a few feet above normal at high tide due in part to sustained winds, likely flooding roads in lower-lying areas, he said.

Patricia, the most powerful hurricane ever measured, was downgraded to a tropical depression after making landfall in Mexico and heading toward the Houston area, where local officials said it could dump 8 to 12 inches of rain.

There were no confirmed deaths from the deluge, but in San Antonio, a woman reported that her boyfriend was swept into a drainage ditch as he walked his dog.

Patricia roared ashore in Mexico on Friday as a Category 5 terror that barrelled toward land with winds up to 200 miles per hour.

Petroleum refineries along the U.S. Gulf Coast – more than 40 percent of USA capacity – appeared to have survived the storm unscathed. “We had drought conditions we were dealing with”.

Authorities say the heavy rain caused less damage than it might have, thanks to the parched ground and lessons learned from May floods.

The 64-car Union Pacific freight train hauling cement from North Texas to Houston derailed at 3:30 a.m. Saturday near Corsicana, according to Jeff DeGraff, a spokesman for the railroad.

“The public responded well. For the most part they heeded our warnings”, Sanchez said. To the south, Austin and surrounding areas picked up about 5 inches of rain, allowing firefighters to contain the last of the Hidden Pines fire, which had burned more than 4,500 acres, according to the Texas A&M Forest Service. Clearing skies also allowed a Formula One championship in Austin to proceed after the rain washed out weekend qualifying laps and threatened a race that brings fans from around the globe.

Jon Shapley/AP Cars sit in water at the Houston Avenue and Memorial Drive exit on IH-45, Sunday, October 25, 2015, in Houston.