“The biggest thing is making sure you have a plan ahead of time when it’s not raining,” he said. “I highly recommend weather.gov/safety/flood. That will walk you through flood preparedness tips and what to do before, during, and after an event.”

Failing to translate flood forecasts into timely messages that tell people what they need to do to stay safe can have tragic consequences. In Texas and elsewhere, the solution is more wide-ranging than fixing any single channel of communication.

Early on Thursday morning the National Weather Service's Lake Charles office announced that it would be expanding the flash flood warning that previously went as far west as Vermillion Parish to include Calcasieu, Cameron, Allen, Jefferson Davis and Beauregard parishes. The watch is in effect from 7 a.m. on Thursday to 7 p.m. on Saturday.

NWS issues flood watch and outlook for storms in Washington D.C., with heavy rainfall and severe weather potential.

Several historic and deadly flash flooding events have occurred in the U.S. just within the month of July alone. Experts talk about what factors are increasing the risks.

With flash flooding in the headlines recently, why hasn't Omaha experienced any significant flooding from our recent rains? See the reasons why here:

Tens of millions of people are at risk of dangerous flash floods in pockets of nearly every region of the contiguous United States Friday, as the nation’s summer of flooding continues.

"Life-threatening flash flooding" is ongoing in Kerr and Gillespie Counties -- including the areas of Kerrville, Comfort, Ingram, Hunt, Mountain Home, Waltonia, Harper, Kerrville-Schreiner Park and Cypress Creek -- according to the National Weather Service.