Flooding possible this week as rain remains in Houston’s forecast

Rain is expected to fall on Houston throughout this week, bringing an end to the prolonged drought conditions that have plagued much of the state.

That also means flooding could be on the horizon.

Sean Luchs, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Houston, said Monday that localized flooding is a concern as a cool front continues to move southeast toward the Gulf Coast. The same weather system caused flash flooding early Monday in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.

“To a large extent, a good amount of rainfall is good and something to look forward to,” Luchs said. “But really, even if there is a drought, there is a rate at which rain can come so quickly that it would overwhelm even dry ground’s ability to soak it up. That would be kind of the one thing we’re looking out for over the next several days is where we might see the heaviest storms produce rain at too high a rate for the ground to take up easily.”

There is not expected to be widespread flooding throughout the Houston region, according to Luchs, who said the most vulnerable spots will be low-lying areas, places with poor drainage capability and urban locales with the greatest concentrations of concrete. He said the Houston metro area figures to be at its highest risk for flooding during the latter part of Tuesday along with Wednesday.

Earlier in the week, areas north of Houston could see the heaviest storms, with the threat shifting to the southern part of the region later in the week, according to Luchs.

He urged Houston-area residents to be especially mindful of road conditions, saying the majority of flood-related deaths in the region are caused by vehicles traveling in high water.

“It definitely looks like a messy week that’s ahead of us,” Luchs said. “Just be aware of conditions, keep in tune with the forecast through the week, just kind of be ready to take things as they come. If all goes well, it’ll be a nice rainy period to make up for some of the drought. But we definitely want to be alert and prepared for if we get more rain than that.”