Flood Watch Issued for Much of SE Texas Until Wednesday Evening
7/23/24 at 7PM – The National Weather Service (NWS) has issued a flood watch for much of southeast Texas until at least Wednesday evening. They warn to keep storm drains clear of debris from Hurricane Beryl.
NWS already predicts the East Fork San Jacinto to reach the moderate flood stage. Other bayous and channels could follow, according to Jeff Lindner, Harris County’s meteorologist.
Perfect Setup for Heavy Rains, Flooding
Heavy storms have pummeled the area north of Lake Houston and Lake Conroe for most of the day and are continuing.
A combination of increasing Gulf moisture, lift from an upper level trough over the region, and slow/training storm motions will produce a threat for heavy to excessive rainfall tonight into Wednesday.
Lakes Rapidly Rising
As a result, as of 7 PM, the level of:
- Lake Houston has increased almost a foot
- Lake Conroe has risen a half foot.
The Coastal Water Authority is discharging 18,613 cubic feet per second (CFS) from Lake Houston. And the SJRA is releasing 4801 CFS from Lake Conroe.
SJRA warns that heavy rainfall potential remains in place for the next two to three days. The Lake Conroe outflow amount could possibly increase overnight if additional rain occurs in the watershed, they say.
Lake Conroe will continue to pass through storm water and runoff received in the Upper San Jacinto River Basin until Lake Conroe returns to normal conservation lake level of 201 feet.
Where to Find the Most Current Information
Monitor:
- Real-time information on Lake Conroe at www.sjra.net.
- Lake Houston levels at https://www.coastalwaterauthority.org.
- The NWS site for changes to the flood watch.
- Harris County Flood Warning System for conditions on streams, bayous and rivers near you.
Rainfall Prediction: 3-5 Inches Per Hour Possible
Jeff Lindner, Harris County’s meteorologist had this to say about the flood watch: “Heavy rainfall is currently ongoing over portions of Montgomery County with scattered to numerous showers and thunderstorms developing over much of the area west of I-45 and north of I-10.”
Ongoing activity should begin to weaken later this evening. However, rainfall amounts over the next 3-5 hours of 2-4 inches in an hour or less will be possible with the heavier storms.
He also expects that we will see thunderstorms that slowly progress inland from the Gulf. These storms will have the potential to produce rainfall rates of 3-5 inches per hour which is raising the flash flood risk for early Wednesday along and south of the I-10 corridor.
“It is possible that much of this activity could remain near the coast or just offshore, but it is close enough to warrant a close watch,” cautions Lindner. “Additional rainfall amounts of 2-4 inches can be expected over much of the area with amounts of 4-6 inches south of I-10.”
Lindner says he would not be surprised to see an isolated 10-inch amount somewhere given the air mass in place.
Monitor the Harris County Flood Warning System for the most current river/bayou flood conditions near you.
Flash flooding will be possible under the heavy rain cores as well as quick rises on area creeks and bayous.
Jeff Lindner, Harris County Meteorologist
East Fork of the San Jacinto River
Heavy rainfall yesterday and again today will produce a significant rise along the river from above Cleveland to Lake Houston starting on Wednesday and lasting into late this week.
The river will rise above flood stage late Wednesday at FM 1485 and above moderate flood levels on Thursday.
Low lying roads near the river will be impacted and FM 1485 will potentially be overtopped. However, the current forecast for the river is well below levels experienced in May of this year, according to Lindner.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 7/23/24
2520 Days since Hurricane Harvey
