Harris County Flood Control Issues First Report on Imelda
Jeff Lindner, meteorologist for Harris County Flood Control, has issued a 29-page report packed with statistics that puts Imelda in a historical context.
Contents of Imelda Report
The report starts out by summarizing what happened when and where during Imelda. It discusses far more than rainfall; it covers high water rescues, fatalities and more.
“Imelda demonstrated the susceptibility of the area to intense short duration rainfall rates,” says Lindner. That pretty much sums up the storm, but not the report.
Imelda Inch by Inch
“Lake Houston and 20.0-30.0 inches from Crosby to Huffman. 12-hr storm totals averaged 6.0-10.0 inches from the Spring Branch area to Lake Houston and 13.0-18.0 inches from Crosby to Huffman. 3-hr storm totals averaged 6.0-10.0 inches from northwest Houston to Huffman. 1-hr storm totals averaged 4.0-6.0 inches from Humble to northwest Houston including a maximum 1-hr total of 6.4 inches at Greens Bayou and US 59 and a 2-hr total of 9.2 inches. While just outside of Harris County, a 48-hr rainfall of 30.4 inches was recorded on the East Fork of the San Jacinto River at FM 2090 in the Plum Grove area,” says Lindner.
Comparing Imelda to Allison and Harvey
Many people have asked how Imelda compared to Harvey and Allison. It’s all in there. With max rainfall totals for each storm ranging from 5-minutes to four days. That was particularly illuminating in terms of explaining why some people flooded during one storm and not the other.
The report also includes:
- A comparison of recent extreme rainfalls in Harris County for all those who worry we are on the verge of the apocalypse.
- An analysis of overbook flooding for East and West Forks of the San Jacinto, Lake Houston, and other bayous.
- House flooding estimates
- High water marks
- Rainfall intensity reports for multiple locations across the region
- Contour maps showing rainfall intensities around the county
- Peak water surface elevations
To download the full report click here.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 9/30/2019
762 Days since Hurricane Harvey and 11 Days since Imelda
