Wednesday AM River, Lake Report: No Problems Yet
Here’s a river/lake report as of 7a.m. Wednesday, 9/18/19. During the early morning hours, TS Imelda was downgraded to a depression. The center of the storm moved north and is now over northern Harris County. Parts of the Lake Houston area received 4-5 inches of rain. Regardless, thanks to aggressive action by the City and luck in rainfall patterns, at this hour, no flood threat exists in our area from rivers or Lake Houston.
Little Rain So Far Upstream on West Fork

Luckily, very little rain fell upstream from us on the West Fork. In fact, the Lake Conroe area generally received less than a quarter inch of rain. Lake Conroe is releasing NO water at this hour. It’s level has not changed appreciably over night. It remains about 2.5 feet below normal.
West Fork and Lake Houston Still Below Normal Levels


The West Lake Houston Parkway gage at the West Fork received a little more than four inches of rain in the last 24 hours. But the river is still within 6 feet of overflowing and the Lake itself is still about a foot below normal.

Openning Gates Reduced Flood Threat

Looking at the right of the graph above, you can see how yesterday’s decision to open the gates on Lake Houston lowered the level by an addition 1.3 feet. This helped offset the heavy rains that fell directly over the lake an in nearby tributaries.
The heaviest rain in the Lake Houston area appears to be 5.72 inches in Liberty County on the East Fork northeast of Lake Houston Park.
Overbank Flooding Limited to Southern Harris County So Far
The only flooding in Harris County from the heavy rains yesterday occurred in the extreme southern part of the county where the heaviest rains fell.
Flash Flood Watch Remains In Effect
Remain alert throughout today. A flash flood watch remains in effect for our area through tomorrow morning and will likely be extended.
Forecasters expect the heaviest rains with daytime heating. They predict that a band of rain will set up east of US59 this afternoon.
Conditions could change rapidly, especially now that the ground is fully saturated.
In the meantime, remain alert for street flooding and avoid travel if possible.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 9/18/2019 at 7 a.m.
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