This National Hurricane Center graphic shows the predicted path of Tropical Storm Bill

“Remember when Tropical Storm Bill came through?”

Many future stories told by Oklahomans will begin with that question, if weather experts are correct.

Though it will likely be downgraded from a tropical storm by the time it reaches the state Wednesday afternoon, meteorologists are predicting that Bill may bring flooding to the state that will dwarf May’s floods, which caused the death of 31 people. 

Forecasters are predicting seven to 10 inches of rain for parts of the state, enough for serious flooding. And, as Pontotoc County (Ok.) Emergency Management Director Chad Letellier pointed out, the area is already saturated due to recent rains.

“There is nowhere for it to go; everything’s full,” Letellier said.

The National Weather Service is predicting a 100 percent chance of heavy rain for Wednesday, and a 60 percent chance for Thursday. KOCO News Channel 5 weather in Oklahoma City has the boldest prediction for Ada, Oklahoma at 8.7 inches of rain.

Letellier said he and others at the Emergency Operations Center, along with county officials and employees, have been watching reports tracking Tropical Storm Bill and preparing.

“We’re getting all of our equipment ready at the EOC, making sure we’re good to go,” Letellier said. “The county road districts are building additional barricades and making sure all their equipment is ready to go.”

Weather forecasts and tropical storm tracks can change like, well, the weather, and Letellier is well aware of this.

“If the track on this shifts to the west a little bit, it’s going to be even worse for us, and that’s kind of what they’re expecting right now, he said Tuesday. “It may shift a little more to the west than what they’ve currently got plotted.”

Letellier and law enforcement officials are hoping residents will heed common-sense advice.

“Don’t drive into flood waters,” he said. “Once this thing starts, if you don’t need to be out and about, stay home. I know a lot of people have to go to work and get home, but if you don’t need to get out, don’t.”

In Texas, Tropical Storm Bill made landfall near Matagorda County on Tuesday morning and is expected to dump heavy rain all across Southeast Texas, including Walker and Trinity counties.

Butch Davis, Walker County’s emergency management coordinator, said the National Weather Service is predicting that the Huntsville area will receive 4 to 8 inches of rain by Wednesday night. 

The Trinity River water level near Riverside, where a number of subdivisions are still dealing with flooding from last month’s storms, was holding steady around 137 feet, which is 3 feet above the flood stage as of Tuesday. That could change with this recent round of rain.

“Flooding in Riverside is still in the moderate stage, but that isn’t taking into account the rain we are supposed to get,” Davis said. “We are still monitoring the situation and are here to provide assistance to anyone who needs it. We just want to remind citizens to be cautious and if conditions continue to get worse in the flood areas to seek higher ground. We have people working around the clock to provide assistance.”

All eyes are on the Gulf of Mexico – even as far north as Cherokee County – as a storm system brewing there is predicted to bring a hefty amount of rainfall to East Texas.

“The biggest thing that the National Weather Service is calling for in our area is that we’re subject to get 7 to 10 inches of rain, which means we will have water problems,” said Ronnie Kimbrough, Cherokee County Emergency Management director.

“With previous rain events, we had some minor flooding that went away pretty quick, but this might bring actual flooding. The places where all our runoff goes to, they’re all still up.

“You add another 7 to 10 inches, and it puts us back where we were,” he said.

However, he added, “the ground has had 10 days to dry out, so depending on how fast we get the rain, there may not be a lot of runoff.”

According to the National Weather Service, a broad area of low pressure in the Gulf of Mexico Monday morning showed “that the circulation was too poorly defined to qualify the system as a tropical cyclone.

“The system is also likely to bring heavy rainfall with possible flooding across portions of eastern Texas and western Louisiana,” the site states, predicting a 90-percent chance of formation through Friday. “Hurricane conditions are possible within the hurricane watch area by Tuesday morning.”

A release from the City of Palestine, which also is closely monitoring the weather system, encourages residents to be prepared for weather-related problems.

Items recommended include: One gallon of water per person per day, non-perishable foods, flashlights, batteries, a radio, a first aid kit, a manual can opener and a cellphone with charger.

“Residents should prepare now, and not wait for the storm to approach before taking precautions.

Kimbrough agreed.

“There’s a possibility that people will be without power again,” he said, adding that folks with pets will want to include enough food and water for their animals. “They’ll want a drink of water, too.”

Another must-have? Medications and important documents.

“Any meds that you take, include them in your kit. And if you’re running low, it might not be a bad idea to refill that prescription now,” Kimbrough said. “Any important documents, like insurance papers, marriage documents, medical documents, add them to your kit. Especially if you have specific orders about a a certain regimen for medical conditions, like needing dialysis every third day. Be sure to have that on hand, because if you need to evacuate, you can keep your regimen close to normal as possible.”

For now, his office will continue to monitor the weather and prepare as much as it can before the fallout hits the area.

“I can’t stress enough to prepare now (for the storm), because at this point, we don’t know how bad it’s going to get,” Kimbrough said. “It might not get bad at all, but then again, you’ll have that kit ready.”

The Ada (Ok.) News, The Jacksonville (Tx.) Progress and The Huntsville (Tx.) Item contributed to this story.