Drivers in Louisiana were cautioned to stay off the roads Sunday as heavy rain caused streets and highways to rapidly fill with water.
At least two vehicles were swept off the road and under a footbridge in Lake Charles, according to the National Weather Service. There was no immediate word on the conditions of the people in the vehicles.
Four people were rescued from the floodwaters Sunday, according to the Lake Charles Fire Department. Crews had to break the window of a car driven by a woman who got trapped in the high waters. She was taken to the hospital, authorities said.
Multiple streets and interstates in Southwest Louisiana were submerged in water and some homes had taken on water as up to 9 inches of rain fell on the region overnight Sunday, according to The Weather Channel.
Part of Interstate 49 in Sunset, Louisiana, was closed in both directions for hours after water made it impassable, according to the Louisiana Department of Transportation.
"Right now it's not a good time to be on the roads," a Lake Charles Police Department spokesman said.
The southern half of the state was under flash flood watches and warnings Sunday, according to the National Weather Service. The storms were part of a system that left a path of damaged homes and killed six people in Texas Saturday.
New Orleans, Jefferson, Lafourche, Plaquemines and St. Bernard were also seeing severe thunderstorms that were delivering winds up to 60 mph and quarter-sized hail, according to NBC affiliate WDSU.
The Zurich Classic Golf Tournament, which was scheduled to be held in Jefferson Parish was canceled for a second day Sunday due to the weather. But the New Orleans Jazz Festival hadn't scrapped its lineup Sunday. On Saturday night, the festival was canceled as heavy rain pelted the city.
The rain is expected to subside across a good portion of Louisiana by Monday, but areas like Lafayette, New Orleans and Jackson, Mississippi, could still see 3-5 inches of rain through the beginning of the workweek, according to Weather.com.
