Flowing Traffic: Rainfall sets calendar day record and affects Brownsville's streets

Showers that pummeled Brownsville on Thursday morning produced 2.68 inches of rain, setting a new daily record, according to forecasters from the National Weather Service.

The previous record was set Nov. 13, 1882 with 2.6 inches, forecaster Alfredo Vega said.

Early Thursday, the National Weather Service in Brownsville issued weather warnings for nearly all of Cameron and parts of Hidalgo counties.

Doppler radar indicated a strong thunderstorm southwest of Brownsville that moved to the northeast at approximately 25 miles per hour, Vega said.

He said that their radar system indicated a few lingering showers over northeast Mexico and some over Star County and the Southern part of Hidalgo County. He said that Brownsville might see some scattered rains, but they will move out by this evening Fridayas a cool front moves in.

"We are looking at a cool dry front," he said. "It should be a nice weekend with some cooler weather in the 40's and 50's."

The record-setting rains made transit difficult for some as some streets in the city experienced localized flooding.

According to Brownsville Police, there was some street flooding in the Southmost area, at Boca Chica Boulevard and McDavitt Street. The downtown area also experienced flooding at Arthur and Hays, Van Buren, St. Francis Street, International Boulevard and Palm Boulevard.

For Rachel Saldivar, a legal assistant working near the courthouse, the rains and subsequent flooding have become a usual hassle. Every time it rains, she simply reaches under her desk for her rubber boots and umbrella and goes about her day.

"It's ridiculous in this area if you don't have a truck, you are not getting anywhere," she said.

Saldivar works at the Law Office of Gabriela Garcia and said that every time it rains, they are affected because the streets outside flood and turn their daily walk to the courthouse into a marine odyssey.

"We had to call the courthouse to tell them that it was flooded and that we couldn't get out and that we were going to be late," she said.

City Manager Charlie Cabler said that the city has been following the forecast and had crews keeping track of the drainage system to spot any clogs.

Cabler said that their focus is on keeping water from rising over sidewalks and getting into residences or businesses.

"Our drainage system does its job," he said. "There is some water on the streets, but just give it time and its going to go down. As long as we don't have three or four inches of rain at a time, we should be OK."

Cabler addressed the flooding concerns of citizens by stating that when there is heavy rains, the water might accumulate in certain areas but will flow out.

"If we have a lot of rain were going to get our roads congested. We need to give it time," he said. "It's not as much as a concern as people's properties and homes. The water will eventually drain."

He said that the city has worked on cleaning ditches and has added water pumps to keep any incoming water flowing.

According to police Sgt. Jimmy Manrrique, police have noticed a small increase in minor traffic accidents because of the wet roads that made it harder for vehicles to stop.

"When there are sudden stops, the roads are too slick for following vehicles to stop on time," Manrrique said.