(CNN) — Another round of storms is sweeping the swampy South, bringing another threat of damaging winds, tornadoes and flash flooding, including in parts of Texas where hundreds of people were rescued during heavy downpours earlier this month.
Between 3 and 6 inches of rain has already fallen along the Gulf Coast, in a stretch from East Texas to Mississippi, and more heavy rain is expected throughout the day as storms hug the coast and move across Texas .
More than 9 million people are under flood watch in an expanse stretching from Central Texas to Southeast Georgia, including rain-weary areas just north of Houston. Metropolitan hubs including New Orleans and Shreveport in Louisiana; Mobile, Alabama; and Tallahassee, Florida, could see flooding.
And it’s not just rainy. The storms also delivered a damaging blow, with hurricane-force winds exceeding 80 mph reported in the Florida Panhandle on Monday morning.
“Severe thunderstorms are expected tonight from south central and southeast Texas, across southern Louisiana, as well as the Florida Panhandle. There is the potential for several corridors with significant wind gusts, very large hail and some tornadoes. warned the Storm Prediction Center.
The South was hit by several rain showers and heavy thunderstorms last week. Severe storms moved through Texas and into Louisiana on Sunday, bringing tennis ball-sized hail and prompting the National Weather Service to issue tornado watches and flash flood warnings.
In Tallahassee, officials are warning residents to “stay aware of the weather in the coming days.” The city, Florida’s capital, is still recovering from Friday’s deadly tornadoes and 100 mph winds. Nearly 20% of Tallahassee’s Leon County was still without power Monday morning after the storms downed hundreds of utility poles and downed scores of trees and power lines, city officials said.
Strong winds and hail with a diameter of up to 10 cm on Monday and a handful of tornadoes are expected as the storms push into the Gulf Coast and another wall of severe storms begins to build in eastern Texas and Louisiana.
The heaviest rain showers are forecast from southeastern Louisiana to western Florida. Precipitation rates in the area could reach up to 3 inches per hour and could add up to 8 inches of total precipitation when combined with Sunday’s storms.
Parts of the Southeast have endured a brutal barrage of severe storms over the past two weeks, pelting the region with damaging winds and hail, dangerous tornadoes and flooding.
River levels in eastern Texas and Louisiana are still high due to rainfall more than a week ago, including the Trinity River, which remains in major flood stage northeast of Houston. Several other rivers in both states are in moderate flood stage.
On Tuesday, the threat will shift further to the southeast, and an area stretching from the Florida Panhandle to the Carolinas is expected to see the brunt of the storms.
Texas is being hit by brutal weather
Severe storms hitting Texas are just the latest in a series of severe weather events that have hit the state since early April.
Dozens of tornadoes have hit from the Texas Panhandle to the Gulf Coast in the past month, leaving trails of destroyed homes and businesses in their wake. Some parts of the state have also been inundated with softball-sized hail and months of rain have drenched East Texas, raising rivers to levels not seen since Hurricane Harvey’s devastating floods in 2017.
In early May, more than 200 people had to be rescued from homes and vehicles in Harris County, Texas, as heavy rain caused rivers to overflow and flood roads. Many people had to leave their livestock stranded and more than 150 pets were rescued during the storms, Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo told CNN.
Just days earlier, some communities north of Houston had experienced nearly two months of rain, prompting evacuations and water rescues.
The succession of rain showers makes the region particularly vulnerable to flash flooding, as rivers have already swollen and the soil has little capacity to absorb any more water.
CNN’s Melissa Alonso contributed to this report.