Don't Underestimate The Power Of Water

Since spring 2015, parts of the South have picked up over 100 inches of rain during a 15-month siege of heavy rain events triggering major flash flooding and river flooding.

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(MORE: The Major Flash Floods Since March 2015)

Destructive flash flooding that hammered parts of central and southeast Texas before and after the Memorial Day weekend 2016 was just the latest event, washing out roads and bridges, thanks to up to 22 inches of rain in a swath from just southeast of Austin, Texas, to the far northern suburbs of Houston.

(MORE: Ft. Hood Soldiers Killed | Texas Flooding Photos)

According to NOAA's ACIS database, 50 weather observing stations in Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, southern Alabama and the Florida Panhandle have picked up at least 100 inches of rain from March 1, 2015 through May 31, 2016. 

Of those, two locations just east of Houston have picked up over 10 feet of rain in 15 months.

• Liberty, Texas: 123.99 inches
• Baytown, Texas: 122.79 inches

(MORE: Is Houston America's Flood Capital?)

Among some of the other cities that have passed the century mark of rainfall since March 2015 include:

• Murfreesboro, Arkansas: 104.22 inches
• Gainesville, Texas (cooperative observer): 103.68 inches
• Mobile, Alabama: 103.48 inches
• Atoka, Oklahoma: 103.20 inches
• Baton Rouge (Sherwood cooperative observer): 102.44 inches
• Mary Esther, Florida: 100.14 inches

But doesn't the Deep South and Gulf Coast typically see heavy rainfall?

Yes, but in some areas, this is record-shattering.

According to the ACIS database, this March 2015 - May 2016 period is the wettest 15-month period in records dating to 1903 in Liberty, Texas.

Over that time, the southeast Texas town measured over four feet more rain than average, a staggering surplus of 49.38 inches.

To put this in more perspective, compare Liberty's almost 124-inch precipitation total to the 15-month March-May averages for a few U.S. locations. Yes, Liberty has picked up almost 2 feet more rain than Guam's average rain total in that period of time.

Jonathan Erdman is a senior meteorologist at weather.com and has been an incurable weather geek since a tornado narrowly missed his childhood home in Wisconsin at age 7.

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MORE ON WEATHER.COM: Flooding in Texas May-June 2016