Spate of Tornadoes Far Outpaces the Average

April was a busy month for tornadoes across the United States with 373 recorded, bringing the total for the year to 549, the Austin American-Statesman reported. That is nearly double the average at this point in the year, the National Weather Service says.

Texas, as usual, is a leader in tornadic activity, with 14 tornadoes reported within a 24hour span in Central and East Texas during a spring storm in late April. Luckily, none resulted in injury or fatality. All of the tornadoes reported on April 26 fell within a 70-mile stretch along Interstate 35 and Texas Hwy. 31, around Corsicana, McGregor and Hillsboro.

The weather service reported that tornadoes have nearly reached half the annual average recorded over the past decade, with April alone accounting for more than one-fourth of the annual average.

Flooding Prompts Disaster Declarations A total of 59 counties thus far are under state disaster declaration after severe weather and flooding swept much of Central and East Texas, Gov. Greg Abbott announced. More counties could be added as conditions warrant.

The counties added to the disaster declaration include: Anderson, Angelina, Austin, Bandera, Bastrop, Bell, Bexar, Blanco, Bosque, Brazos, Burleson, Burnet, Caldwell, Cherokee, Colorado, Comal, Coryell, DeWitt, Falls, Fayette, Gillespie, Gonzales, Gregg, Guadalupe, Hamilton, Hardin, Hays, Henderson, Houston, Jasper, Jefferson, Johnson, Karnes, Kendall, Kerr, Kimble, Lampasas, Lavaca, Lee, Llano, Mason, Medina, Milam, Nacogdoches, Newton, Orange, Panola, Robertson, Rusk, Sabine, San Augustine, Shelby, Smith, Travis, Van Zandt, Waller, Washington, Williamson, and Wilson counties. Texans from the Panhandle to the Piney Woods are not out of the woods yet when it comes to severe weather, the Texas Standard reported. Of particular concern is the area north of Houston, with evacuation orders in place in Polk County. The Trinity River overflowed following as much as 23 inches of rain in parts of the Lake Livingston watershed.