A recent storm in late April and early May inundated parts of Southeast Texas with torrential rainfall, leading to extreme flooding across several regions. Some locations saw over 10 inches of rain in a single day.

Energy meteorologist Matt Lanza highlighted that some areas experienced more than 5 inches of rainfall in just an hour. For instance, a site north of Lake Livingston reported an astonishing 6 inches in an hour on April 28. "Texas gets a lot of rain, but that's really getting up there," Lanza noted.

However, it wasn't only the sheer volume of rain that led to severe flooding. The river water levels were also exceptional. The heavy downpour primarily occurred upstream along the Trinity River, which led to significant flooding downstream. The combination of the recent rainfall and the already saturated rivers and land from the past two months worsened the flooding, Lanza explained.

As of May 3, Lake Livingston held nearly 220,000 acre-feet of excess water, the highest level recorded since 1995, according to Water Data for Texas. This amount surpassed levels seen during Hurricane Harvey, which dumped over 50 inches of rain on parts of Houston.

The Trinity River also experienced unprecedented water levels, resulting in widespread flooding across East Texas.

Some records were broken, illustrating the storm's exceptional nature. Lanza emphasized that each storm is unique, warning, "Even if you didn't flood this time, it doesn't mean you are safe in the future."