As of 3PM on 4/19/2020 the tornado watch was extended until 10PM: A tornado watch is in effect for all of SE Texas. Thunderstorms have begun to develop over SE TX, especially along and near I-10. Air mass is becoming increasingly unstable. The approach of an upper level system from the west and a Pacific cool front along with veering wind profiles will support the formation of scattered to numerous showers and thunderstorms.
Radar Updated at 3:20
Hazards
Storms may become severe with the following hazards:
Isolated tornados (mainly N of I-10)
Large hail (a few hail report could exceed 2.5 inches in diameter)
Damaging winds (60mph or greater)
While the tornado watch includes the entire area, the greatest threat will be generally along and N of US 59 to the west of Houston and then along and N of I-10 east of Houston.
For Your Protection
Move to an interior room on the lowest floor of a building.
Prepare immediately for large hail and deadly cloud to ground lightning.
Seek shelter inside a well-built structure.
Stay away from windows.
Continuous cloud to ground lightning is occurring with this storm. Move indoors immediately. Lightning is one of nature’s leading killers. Remember, if you can hear thunder, you are close enough to be struck by lightning.
Torrential rainfall is occurring with this storm, and may lead to flash flooding.
Do not drive your vehicle through flooded roadways.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 4/19/2020 at 9:30amand updated with new radar at 3pm.
964 Days since Hurricane Harvey
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Attachment-1.png?fit=2436%2C1179&ssl=111792436adminadmin2020-04-19 09:41:302020-04-19 15:27:40Tornado Watch for All Southeast Texas Until 3 P.M.
City of Houston Mayor Pro Tem Dave Martin announced today that Houston Public Works will repair the West Lake Houston Parkway Bridge beginning Monday, April 27. The project should last through Wednesday, May 20th if weather cooperates. During that time, bridge traffic will narrow to two lanes.
West Lake Houston Parkway Bridge connecting Atascocita and Kingwood will narrow to two lanes for repairs from 4/27 to 5/20.Looking north toward Kings Harbor. Photo taken January 20.
Bearing Pads Being Replaced
The City will replace 14 bearing pads at a cost of $307,400. The City’s Dedicated Drainage and Street Renewal Fund will pay for the project. The contractor for the project is ISI Contracting, Inc.
On Monday, April 27, work will begin at 7:00 a.m. by closing of the northbound lanes of the bridge. The City will convert southbound lanes to two-way traffic. The contractor will work Monday through Saturday 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.West Lake Houston Bridge Final Repairs Scheduled
Pedestrian Sidewalks Closed
The City will also barricade pedestrian sidewalks for safety.
Look out for flagmen and orange traffic cones assisting with traffic flow.
All lanes of the West Lake Houston Parkway Bridge and pedestrian sidewalks will reopen on Wednesday, May 20, weather permitting.
For more information, please contact Mayor Pro Tem Martin’s office at (832) 393-3008 or via email at districte@houstontx.gov.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 4/17/2020 based on information from COH District E
962 Days After Hurricane Harvey
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/20200120-RJR_6930.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=18001200adminadmin2020-04-17 16:34:182020-04-17 16:34:29West Lake Houston Parkway Bridge Repairs Scheduled April 27 to May 20
Pop quiz: In the last 100 years in Harris County, Texas, were you more likely to get flooded in the first or second half of the year? And the answer is…second half. But surprisingly, it’s a close tie. Looking at the data, also revealed that a major flood happened every 2.5 years on average.
Harris County Flood Control District keeps a list of major floods. It actually goes back further than 1920. However, the pre-1920 records don’t reliably record the month of the flood, so I limited the sample to 100 years for the purpose of this quiz.
HCFCD shows 38 events through 2016. For my count, I added Hurricane Harvey (2017) and Tropical Storm Imelda (2019). Both happened since the last HCFCD chart update. And both produced major flooding in Harris County. That brought the total to 40 events.
22 of 40 Events Happened in Second Half of Year
Of the 40 major floods in 100 years, 18 happened from January through June; 22 from July through December.
That means you’re almost as likely to get flooded in the spring as you are by a tropical event in the summer or fall.
23 of 40 Events Happened During Hurricane Season
However, if you phrased the question as, “How many major floods happened during hurricane season?” you would get a slightly different answer. Seventeen of the 40 did not and 23 did.
That’s because:
June falls in BOTH spring and hurricane season. Note that two floods, Audrey in 1957 and Allison in 2001, both occurred in June.
In 1935 a major flood occurred during December, which is outside of hurricane season.
Major Flood Intervals Average 2.5 Years
The other major, mind-bending, slap-you-in-the-head statistic that comes out of this quiz concerns frequency. Forty events in 100 years represents a 40% chance of a major flood happening in any given year.
The average interval of major flood events: 2.5 years. The shortest interval: one month in 1929, 1989 and 2016. The longest interval: eight years between 1961 and 1969.
If those statistics don’t make you a believer in flood insurance, I don’t know what will. It should also make you a believer in flood control and drainage districts if you live in a southeast Texas county, such as Montgomery, that doesn’t have one.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 4/17/2020 based on HCFCD data
962 Days since Hurricane Harvey
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Flood-History-1200dpi.png?fit=1200%2C681&ssl=16811200adminadmin2020-04-17 13:46:202020-04-17 14:10:35Quiz: In Southeast Texas, Do Floods Happen More Often in First or Second Half of Year?
Tornado Watch for All Southeast Texas Until 3 P.M.
Tornado Watch Extended Until 10PM
As of 3PM on 4/19/2020 the tornado watch was extended until 10PM: A tornado watch is in effect for all of SE Texas. Thunderstorms have begun to develop over SE TX, especially along and near I-10. Air mass is becoming increasingly unstable. The approach of an upper level system from the west and a Pacific cool front along with veering wind profiles will support the formation of scattered to numerous showers and thunderstorms.
Hazards
Storms may become severe with the following hazards:
For Your Protection
Continuous cloud to ground lightning is occurring with this storm. Move indoors immediately. Lightning is one of nature’s leading killers. Remember, if you can hear thunder, you are close enough to be struck by lightning.
Do not drive your vehicle through flooded roadways.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 4/19/2020 at 9:30am and updated with new radar at 3pm.
964 Days since Hurricane Harvey
West Lake Houston Parkway Bridge Repairs Scheduled April 27 to May 20
City of Houston Mayor Pro Tem Dave Martin announced today that Houston Public Works will repair the West Lake Houston Parkway Bridge beginning Monday, April 27. The project should last through Wednesday, May 20th if weather cooperates. During that time, bridge traffic will narrow to two lanes.
Bearing Pads Being Replaced
The City will replace 14 bearing pads at a cost of $307,400. The City’s Dedicated Drainage and Street Renewal Fund will pay for the project. The contractor for the project is ISI Contracting, Inc.
On Monday, April 27, work will begin at 7:00 a.m. by closing of the northbound lanes of the bridge. The City will convert southbound lanes to two-way traffic. The contractor will work Monday through Saturday 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.West Lake Houston Bridge Final Repairs Scheduled
Pedestrian Sidewalks Closed
The City will also barricade pedestrian sidewalks for safety.
Look out for flagmen and orange traffic cones assisting with traffic flow.
All lanes of the West Lake Houston Parkway Bridge and pedestrian sidewalks will reopen on Wednesday, May 20, weather permitting.
For more information, please contact Mayor Pro Tem Martin’s office at (832) 393-3008 or via email at districte@houstontx.gov.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 4/17/2020 based on information from COH District E
962 Days After Hurricane Harvey
Quiz: In Southeast Texas, Do Floods Happen More Often in First or Second Half of Year?
Pop quiz: In the last 100 years in Harris County, Texas, were you more likely to get flooded in the first or second half of the year? And the answer is…second half. But surprisingly, it’s a close tie. Looking at the data, also revealed that a major flood happened every 2.5 years on average.
How Numbers Were Compiled
Harris County Flood Control District keeps a list of major floods. It actually goes back further than 1920. However, the pre-1920 records don’t reliably record the month of the flood, so I limited the sample to 100 years for the purpose of this quiz.
HCFCD shows 38 events through 2016. For my count, I added Hurricane Harvey (2017) and Tropical Storm Imelda (2019). Both happened since the last HCFCD chart update. And both produced major flooding in Harris County. That brought the total to 40 events.
22 of 40 Events Happened in Second Half of Year
That means you’re almost as likely to get flooded in the spring as you are by a tropical event in the summer or fall.
23 of 40 Events Happened During Hurricane Season
However, if you phrased the question as, “How many major floods happened during hurricane season?” you would get a slightly different answer. Seventeen of the 40 did not and 23 did.
That’s because:
Major Flood Intervals Average 2.5 Years
The other major, mind-bending, slap-you-in-the-head statistic that comes out of this quiz concerns frequency. Forty events in 100 years represents a 40% chance of a major flood happening in any given year.
The average interval of major flood events: 2.5 years. The shortest interval: one month in 1929, 1989 and 2016. The longest interval: eight years between 1961 and 1969.
If those statistics don’t make you a believer in flood insurance, I don’t know what will. It should also make you a believer in flood control and drainage districts if you live in a southeast Texas county, such as Montgomery, that doesn’t have one.
For those whose screen is too small to read the data above, here’s a printable PDF.
If you don’t have a printer at home, here’s the breakdown:
First-Half-of-Year Floods: 1929 (April and May), 1930, 1955, 1957, 1960, 1969, 1972, 1973, 1983, 1989, 1992, 2001, 2006, 2009, 2015, 2016 (2 in April and May)
Second-Half-of-Year Floods: 1932, 1935, 1940, 1943 (July and October), 1945, 1959, 1961, 1979, 1983 (August and September), 1984, 1994, 1998 (September, October, November), 2008, 2012, 2014, 2017, 2019
Posted by Bob Rehak on 4/17/2020 based on HCFCD data
962 Days since Hurricane Harvey