Flood Watch, Warning Continue; May Be Extended
7/25/24 Noon – A flood watch and warning continue for the Lake Houston Area with more heavy rain expected. The San Jacinto East Fork and West Fork, Caney Creek and Lake Creek are all at or near flood stage due to even heavier rains earlier in the week.
Flood watches and warnings have been extended until late tonight and “may need be extended into Friday,” according Harris County Meteorologist Jeff Lindner.
Both Lake Conroe and Lake Houston remain well above normal levels and are discharging water.
It’s been a wet year so far. Rainfall year to date is 57% higher than normal at Bush Intercontinental Airport. And while the tropics are currently quiet, sea surface temperatures remain well above average for this time of year.
See more details below.
San Jacinto East Fork
The worst flooding seems to be along the East Fork where water is into the moderate flood stage and still rising. NOAA predicts it will crest at 63.7 feet tomorrow.

Farther upstream at Cleveland, the Fire Department has warned of flooded low-water areas. But the river appears to be cresting.

Caney Creek near Splendora
Caney Creek near Splendora has peaked inches below the moderate flood stage and should start decreasing today.

Lake Creek Above the Woodlands
Lake Creek above The Woodlands is also flirting with flooding due to more than 10 inches of rain in the last three days. However, barring more heavy rainfall, the creek should now recede.

West Fork at US59
All the water that fell near The Woodlands is now working its way downstream to the Lake Houston Area. Minor lowland flooding last night is now receding.

Lake Conroe
The level in Lake Conroe is finally going down, but the SJRA continues to release more than 5,000 Cubic Feet per Second (CFS).

The SJRA reported a level of 201.88 earlier this morning.
Lake Houston
Lake Houston is 1.6 feet higher than normal and discharging 32,435 CFS. Ten thousand CFS can go through the existing flood gates. The rest is going over the spillway.

Rainfall Prediction
The National Weather Service predicts 3-6 inches of rain along the coastline, 2-4″ inches up to I-10, and up to 1.5 inches farther inland.

I’ve already received more than an inch in my rain gage so far today.
Flood Watch Remains in Effect
As a result of more rain falling on ground saturated by heavier rainfall earlier in the week, a Flood Watch remains in effect for Harris, Liberty, Galveston, Chambers and Fort Bend counties.

Rainfall Year-to-Date
So, how does all this rainfall compare to a normal year? The National Weather Service shows this graph for Bush Intercontinental Airport.

Normally, by this day in July, we get around 28 inches of rain. But year to date, we have received 44.27 – 57% more than normal – quite a change from last year’s drought.
Tropical Outlook
The National Hurricane Center currently shows no areas of interest in the Atlantic, Caribbean or Gulf of Mexico. That’s good news. And they expect none for the next seven days – even better news.
However, forecasters warn that that could turn around in early August. Sea surface temperatures remain well above normal for this time of year.

The main development region between West Africa and the Caribbean remains 1-3 degrees Celsius above average. That translates to 1.8 to 5.4 degrees on the Fahrenheit scale.
So remember to keep those storm drains clear of debris from Beryl! And keep those floaties handy!
Posted by Bob Rehak on 7/25/24
2522 Days since Hurricane Harvey