TEXAS — As a storm system forms, it’s looking like Texas might be in its path. Severe weather may include flash flooding, damaging winds, hail and tornadoes. Hence, Gov. Greg Abbott’s state emergency response alert on Thursday ahead of the possibly dangerous weather Friday night.

The Storm Prediction Center mapped out a large area in the state that could face severe weather threats. Spectrum News 1 meteorologists say all of the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex and cities along I-35 southward are in a level 3 out of 5 risk.

"The State of Texas is proactively responding to severe storms and potential flash flooding expected to impact Texas today and tomorrow," said Abbott. "State and local emergency response partners are monitoring weather conditions and are on standby to swiftly provide all necessary resources to protect our communities. Texans are urged to remain weather-aware and follow instructions from emergency responders and local officials to keep themselves and their loved ones safe."

Under Abbott's direction, the Texas Division of Emergency Management (TDEM) has initialized activated the following resources to render aid during severe weather response operations: 

  • Texas A&M Engineering Extension Service (Texas A&M Task Force One and Texas Task Force Two): Boat Squads and Urban Search and Rescue Packages

TDEM has the following state resources on hand if needed:

  • Texas A&M Forest Service: Saw Crews and Incident Management Teams
  • Texas Parks and Wildlife Department: Boat Teams to support water rescue operations
  • Texas National Guard: Transportation platoons and helicopters with hoist capability
  • Texas Department of State Health Services: Texas Emergency Medical Task Force Severe Weather Packages
  • Texas Department of Public Safety (Texas Highway Patrol): Helicopters with hoist capability
  • Public Utility Commission of Texas: Power outage monitoring/coordination with utility providers in the threat area.
  • Texas Commission on Environmental Quality: Personnel to monitor drinking water, wastewater and air quality
  • Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service: Disaster Assessment and Recovery Agents
  • State Mass Care Coordination

The weather threat will be at its highest by Friday evening, until then Texans can expect widely scattered light rain showers this morning and a cold front sweep through the state this afternoon as storms develop.