Large hail, damaging winds, possible street flooding threaten Houston on Thursday

Much of southeast Texas is under an “enhanced” risk of severe weather, with large hail and damaging winds threatening Houston and communities west of the region Thursday afternoon.

Houston can also expect up to two inches of rain as the storms roll through in the afternoon and evening. A front pushing through the state will collide with warm and humid air over Houston, creating the severe weather threat, meteorologists said.

The storms are expected to crop up around 3 p.m. near College Station and work their way south to Houston between 5 and 8 p.m. The severe weather threat could be over by 9 or 10 p.m., according to experts.

Friday will provide a short reprieve from the rain (save for a 20 percent chance of pop-up storms) before another rain system moves through the area over the weekend.

After the weekend rain rolls out, next week is expected to be sunny and dry, with high temperatures in the mid-70s.

Jay R. Jordan covers breaking news in the Houston area. Read him on our breaking news site, Chron.com, and our subscriber site, HoustonChronicle.com | Follow him on Twitter at @JayRJordan | Email him at jay.jordan@chron.com