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Flood watch for Houston areas Tuesday, possible flooding Wednesday, as rain continues
The National Weather Service issued a flood watch Tuesday to areas just north of Harris County.
Cities north of Houston including The Woodlands, Conroe, Navasota, Brenham and Bryan could see anywhere between two and four inches of rain by Tuesday evening. The flood watch will affect those areas until midnight Tuesday before more thunderstorms are expected to roll in Wednesday morning.
Flood watches are issued by the National Weather Service when flooding is possible, and conditions are favorable for flooding to occur. NWS is advising residents to avoid driving during heavy rainfall events, because the road underneath may be unstable.
“Street flooding is our primary threat,” Brian Murray, public information officer with Harris County’s Office of Emergency Management told Houston Public Media Tuesday. “Our roadways are designed to carry water. Street flooding, while inconvenient, is not really dangerous. What does make it dangerous is when people start driving into it, or kids are out playing in it.”
Areas of Houston are expected to receive about half an inch of rain Tuesday.
Some spots in the Houston area could pick up three to five inches of rain Wednesday, depending on where the strongest storms develop, according to NWS.
“Basically what we are doing right now is keeping an eye on things,” Murray said. “The flood control district is monitoring their flood gauges. We feel pretty confident about being ready for this.”
The northwest corner of Harris County could be expected to receive the most rainfall on Wednesday.
“We are going to be watching the watersheds to see if the additional rainfall we are getting north of Harris County starts causing some water in our streams and bayous, and then certainly whatever additional rain and how that all adds together to create potential dangers.”
Houston Public Works announced Saturday that Lake Houston would be lowered by 12 inches ahead of the days-long rain forecast. Lake Houston spillway gates were also opened Saturday, and will remain open until the threat of flooding subsides. Lake Houston is the primary water source for the city of Houston.