A slow-moving storm system is parked over South Texas, and the Rio Grande Valley is preparing for a wet, dangerous weekend. The National Weather Service is warning of heavy rain and flash flooding through Monday, and heavy rain already fell on far South Texas Thursday night. TxDOT’s Pharr District has maintenance crews patrolling state highways around the clock, clearing drain inlets and debris, and barricades are staged and ready if rising water makes roads hazardous.

Cities are doing their part too. In Mission, crews are handing out roughly 3,000 sandbags a day to residents and businesses trying to protect their property. TxDOT spokesperson Ray Pedraza put it plainly: if we get a lot of rainfall in a short period of time, problems can show up anywhere. That’s the nature of flash flooding. It doesn’t take a major river to create a life-threatening situation, just a low crossing and fast-moving water.

For anyone here in Ellis County with travel plans toward the Valley this weekend, or with family down there, the guidance is straightforward. Check road conditions before you leave, expect possible closures on low-lying highways, and never drive into water covering a roadway. Six inches of moving water can take a car off the road. Turn around, don’t drown.

Do you have family in the Rio Grande Valley, or are you planning a trip south this weekend? Let us know in the comments.