Showers to continue early Wednesday, NWS says
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate
Houstonians should monitor the forecast Tuesday and in the coming days as showers and thunderstorms were expected to prompt possible flooding in several areas, meteorologists have said.
Follow along here for live updates:
Heavy rainfall expected to continue all week
After a day of heavy rainfall across some parts of the Houston region, residents can expect a brief respite this evening, but the area isn’t yet out of the woods when it comes to the potential for flooding, according to officials with the National Weather Service in League City.
Heavy rainfall battered parts of the Houston region, stalling several cars along Interstate 69 near Tidwell Road, cutting power to more than 60,000 residents and filling some streets in north Harris County.
But the showers will continue to move northeast away from Houston through the evening hours, said Amaryllis Cotto, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service. That lull should last through the evening, but starting early Wednesday, the chance of rain will again increase.
Rainfall could resume somewhere between several hours before sunrise up through the morning commute, Cotto said. Modeling is inconsistent on what part of Houston and when might be most at risk, but rainfall rates could reach between 2 to 4 inches per hour in some isolated areas.
Residents should be alert and pay attention to the radar and weather forecast ahead of morning commutes, Cotto said.
Cars stalled near Interstate 69
Multiple cars have stalled at the intersection of Tidwell Road and Interstate 69, according to a tweet from Storm Chaser Houston.
In the video, multiple cars can be seen trying to drive through flooded areas.
A flash flood warning was extended for central Harris County by the National Weather Service till 1:45 p.m.
The Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management urges everyone to monitor road conditions, be aware of street flooding and “turn around, don’t drown.”
More than 60K power outages reported in Houston area
Roughly 30,000 power outages were reported in the Houston area Tuesday, according to the CenterPoint Energy outage tracker.
More than 18,000 outages were reported in the Spring area and another nearly 10,000 outages in the Humble-Kingwood area.
CenterPoint Energy also reported outages scattered across the Houston area, including another 2,500 outages near the Katy area.
Residents in north Houston concerned about flooding
Around 11:50 a.m., a video of flooding near a house on Mesquite Street, east of the Hardy Toll Road, was posted by Storm Chaser Houston. According to the post, some residents were concerned as more rain continued north.
Around 9:50 a.m., as showers and thunderstorms were primed to prompt potential flooding throughout the day, Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez Tweeted: “We pre-stage and prepare equipment to help gain access to areas that may be affected. When it’s time when the call comes in we will be there.”
Spring ISD announces power outages across the district
Spring ISD officials reported multiple power outages across the district, but are operating on generator power.
Space City Weather upgrades storm to stage 2
Space City Weather issued a stage 2 alert Tuesday morning, which represents the presence of an elevated threat, including possible flash flooding in areas such as Sugar Land, Katy and The Woodlands. A stage 1 flood alert was issued Monday by Space City, in which Meteorologist Eric Berger forecast 3 to 6 inches of rain during the next seven days.
Around 10:50 a.m., the National Weather Service announced showers and thunderstorms were moving northeast, away from Houston.
Brian Kyle, a meteorologist for the weather service, said rainfall rates are bringing three inches of rain per hour. The storm should be moving toward Kingwood in the next couple of hours, he said.
Some flooding was seen around Interstate 45 along the feeder roads, he said.
Flight Aware reports hundreds of delays, 60 canceled flights at Houston's 2 airports
As of 11:30 a.m., Flight Aware reported more than 200 delays at both Houston airports.
The total number of delays for flights at William P. Hobby Airport was 47, according to the flight tracking website. At George Bush Intercontinental Airport, 184 delays had been reported.
More than 60 canceled flights also were reported between both airports.
Keep track of the storm
As bad weather passes through Houston, the Chronicle has a number of ways to help you keep tabs on the storm in real-time.
For ongoing flood updates across the city and live weather radar, check out the Chronicle's Texas Flood Map and Tracker.
You also can see where power outages are happening in town and across the state with our Texas Power Outage Tracker.
Our latest stories will appear on our Weather landing page, as well as in this live blog and on our homepage, so be sure to check back for the latest news and analysis.
Ground stop issued at IAH
Federal officials have issued a ground stop on all flights into Bush Intercontinental Airport because of passing thunderstorms, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.
The guidance was issued at 9:34 a.m. and its duration already had been extended once Tuesday; it now is set to run through 12:15 p.m., according to an advisory on the administration’s website.
As of around 9:50 a.m., more than 95 flights into or out of the airport had been delayed, along with 29 cancelations, according to the flight tracking website, FlightAware.
Flood watch issued for Houston area
The National Weather Service issued a flood watch that went into effect at 10 a.m. Tuesday and will remain in effect till 7 p.m. Wednesday. Possible flooding is expected in several areas in southeast Texas, including Fort Bend, Galveston, Harris and Montgomery counties, according to forecasters.
Thunderstorms Tuesday were already pummeling parts of Fort Bend County and elsewhere in the Houston metro area and the heavy rain the em produced was expected to continue on through Wednesday, with widespread rainfall totals of 2 to 3 inches, according to the weather service. About 5 to 7 inches of rain was possible in the hardest hit areas.
MORE ON WEATHER: Flood alert issued for Houston by Space City Weather, with 3-6 inches of rain expected this week
There remained a 70 to 80 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms throughout all of Tuesday, couples with wind speeds of 5 to 10 mph and a high temperature of 80 degrees, according to the weather service. The temperature was expected to drop into the high 60s because heavy cloud cover and gray skies obscured the sun from view Tuesday morning and thunderstorms were likely to continue until approximately 7 p.m.
Showers and thunderstorms also were expected to continue throughout Wednesday, with winds as strong as 10 mph and a high temperature near 80 degrees, according to the weather service. There was a 30 percent chance rain would continue Wednesday night.
There was a 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms during the day Thursday, with skies remaining mostly cloudy at night. Slight chances of rain were expected to persist throughout the work week and into the weekend.
Be sure to plan ahead, have multiple ways to monitor the updated forecasts (in case of loss of power) and carry a raincoat and umbrella at all times.
This is a developing story, check back for updates.
Source: Houston Chronicle
