Tag Archive for: Harris County Flood Control

Perry Homes Extends Deadline for Woodridge Purchase as Construction Ratchets Up

J. Carey Gray, lawyer for Figure Four Partners, a Perry Homes subsidiary, sent a letter to Harris County, City of Houston and State officials on April 15th. The letter extends to May 15th the County’s deadline for pulling a deal together to purchase Woodridge Village.

Conditions for a Deal

At the last Commissioner’s Court meeting, Harris County requested two things before consummating a deal in addition to a deadline extension from Perry Homes:

  • Land in lieu of a cash contribution from the City to help complete HCFCD projects and offset part of the County’s purchase price
  • Changes in the Montgomery County Drainage Criteria Manual, including Atlas-14 compliance. Closing the detention pond loophole was also mentioned.

See Russ Poppe, Executive Director of Harris County Flood Control District at approximately 7:33:45 in this video of the Harris County Commissioner’s Court meeting.

Construction Resumed Day after Meeting

The day after the commissioners’ meeting, Perry resumed construction on the Woodridge Village site.

A flyover of the site Tuesday, 4/21/2020, revealed that Perry contractors now have at least 30 pieces of earth-moving equipment at Woodridge Village. That’s compared to about 20 a week ago. Contractors are:

  • Expanding the N2 Detention pond and taking dirt to fill in low areas elsewhere around the site.
  • Blocking out new roads
  • Pouring concrete
  • Installing culverts.

Construction Pictures from Tuesday, 4/21/2020

The pictures below show the activity.

Looking south across Woodridge Village from northern boundary along western boundary at Webb Street Entrance in Porter.
Looking SE. Closer shot of work on N2 detention pond. Dirt from pond is filling former wetlands on left.
Grassy area in bottom right is portion of N2 pond built by MoCo in 2005 for another project.
Some excavated dirt from N2 is being used to fill the bog along Woodland Hills Drive near Kingwood Park High School
New section of concrete poured this morning north of Sherwood Trails
More concrete poured this morning north of Fair Grove in Elm Grove Village. Note: still no berm between S1 pond (center bottom) and S2 pond (upper right).
Culverts being installed along Taylor Gully where it cuts through Woodridge Village
Outlines of roads taking shape.
Dirt from pond is filling in wetlands, left.
Culverts about to be set in concrete.
Workers appear to be building a concrete pilot channel in the middle of the expanded N2 pond.
An assembly line of trucks carried more dirt away from N2, which is relentlessly expanding.

Text of Letter from Perry Lawyer

Despite all this activity, Lawyer Gray promises that if Harris County can pull together a deal, the additional costs will not affect Perry’s purchase price.

Gray also says that Perry continues to seek a private buyer. And that it hopes to have detention ponds completed by summer of 2020 (presumably if the purchase does not go through). See the full text of Gray’s letter below or download this printable PDF.

Page 1
Page 2

Draw your own conclusions from the letter and the construction, and keep your fingers crossed.

Posted by Bob Rehak on 4/22/2020

967 Days since Hurricane Harvey and 216 since Imelda

Conveyance of Lower Ben’s Branch Nearly Restored

A flyover of the lower portion of Ben’s Branch on March 6, 2020, revealed that Harris County Flood Control has nearly restored its conveyance, even if some sediment still needs to be hauled off.

With most of lower Ben’s Branch cleaned out, the Kingwood Library (left), Kingwood Greens (right), and The Enclave (background) can now breathe much easier.

Among Hardest Hit Areas During Harvey

During Hurricane Harvey, some of the hardest hit areas in Kingwood bordered Ben’s Branch. Ben’s Branch cuts diagonally through Kingwood from St. Martha Catholic Church on the north to Town Center, Kingwood Greens, The Enclave, Kingwood Village Estates and Kings Harbor on the south. Post-Harvey surveys showed significant sediment buildup along the creek which reduced conveyance.

Twelve seniors in Kingwood Village Estates died after Harvey as a result of injuries sustained during the storm or the stress of losing their homes.

In August of last year, Harris County Flood Control began cleaning out the creek.

The project scoped by HCFCD is to remove approximately 80,000 cubic yards of sediment between the red line at Kingwood Drive and the YMCA at the bottom right of the circle.

Flood Control estimated they would need to remove 75,000 to 80,000 cubic yards to restore the conveyance. Despite a setback called Tropical Storm Imelda, the project has been moving along nicely.

Looking west from the West Lake Houston Parkway Bridge at Ben’s Branch before the project started. To get a sense of scale, that’s a HCFCD surveyor in the yellow jacket!
The same area today (looking west from a helicopter over the WLHP Bridge (lower left).

Here’s how the rest of the project looks.

East of the WLHP Bridge (foreground), some sediment is still drying along the banks before removal. However, the channel is open again for business.
The long stretch behind the Kingwood Town Center Apartments has been restored.
The stretch just south of Kingwood Drive by ReMax still needs clean-out and touch up.
The area just east of the YMCA is still being actively excavated.
Same area, still being actively excavated near YMCA.

Merchants and residents alike should breathe much easier during the upcoming hurricane season.

Posted by Bob Rehak on 3/10/2020

924 Days after Hurricane Harvey

Forest Cove Townhome Buyouts 80% Complete, But Area Now Magnet For Illegal Dumping

Eighty percent of the Forest Cove townhomes south of Hamblen on Marina and Timberline Drives have been bought out so far. But while HCFCD scrambles to complete the remainder of the buyouts, the area has become a magnet for illegal dumpers.

Vacant Since Harvey

Ever since Hurricane Harvey when 15-20 feet of water swept through the riverfront townhomes, they have been abandoned. Then they were looted, burned, covered with graffiti, and dumped on. No one lives there anymore. They can’t. The Harvey flood destroyed them beyond repair.

The absence of residents has now made the once-proud townhomes a favorite destination for illegal dumpers.

Pictures from February 13 Flyover

Below are some pictures I took from a helicopter on 2/13/2020. Believe me, it looks and smells much worse from the ground. People have dumped old furniture, electronics, a boat, tires, landscaping debris, mattresses and more.

The City can’t keep up with it.

Fire from last July.

Status of Buyouts

The City of Houston is responsible for keeping the area clean. But Harris County Flood Control District HCFCD is buying these properties out.

Matt Zeve, Deputy Executive Director of HCFCD, says HCFCD has purchased 80% of the townhomes since Harvey. Fourteen units remain un-purchased. 

HCFCD has already demolished eight of the buildings. Seven remain. The 14 units are scattered among those seven buildings. That’s why they haven’t been demolished yet.

Of the 14 units, five are in the acquisition process. The nine remaining owners have all volunteered to be bought out. “We’re in the approval process of adding them to our Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) buyout grant,” said James Wade of HCFCD. So all the pieces of this puzzle are falling into place.

A FEMA Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) resulting from Hurricane Harvey is partially funding this acquisition. Seventy-five percent of the cost is from a federal HMGP grant and 25% (plus some relocation costs) will be funded by HCFCD. The total estimated costs of the townhomes once complete: approximately $5 million. 

HCFCD hopes to complete all acquisition and demolition by the end of 2020.

When buyouts are complete, this area will revert to nature. It could also become part of a linear park. The Houston Parks Board was considering building a hike and bike trail south of Hamblen between the County’s planned Edgewater Park and River Grove Park.

Posted by Bob Rehak on 2/25/2020

910 Days after Hurricane Harvey

Pop Quiz: What Made This Water Turn Color?

West Fork Sand Pit photographed on 2/13/2020
Same pool shown within a larger context.

Multiple Choice Quiz

So what made this water turn color? This is definitely a hard one:

  1. TACA is promoting Sherwin-Williams.
  2. It’s a Slurpee® and snow cone waste pit.
  3. All the left-over food coloring that Randall’s couldn’t sell at 95%-off wound up here.
  4. The country of Gabon is advertising tourism.
  5. Cyanobacteria are taking over the pit.

And The Answer Is…

If you guessed D, you at least get points for knowing your flags. Gabon’s colors are blue, green and yellow. But you also guessed wrong. Gabon wouldn’t stoop this low.

The correct answer is E – cyanobacteria.

About Cyanobacteria

According to the TCEQ and Denise Wade at Harris County Flood Control, blue-green algae, also known as cyanobacteria, naturally occur in bodies of water. Blue-green algae have the potential to grow throughout the year. Blooms are seen more frequently during summer months in warm, stagnant, nutrient-rich water. Blue-green algae blooms can appear as in the photos above or even emerald green, blue green, pea green, red-brown, or white.

“The algae sometimes attach to sediment or plants at the bottom of a water source. Wind can even blow the algae onto soil surrounding the water source. If there has been a blue-green algae bloom, but it has collapsed (decayed), there may still be algal toxins in the water,” said Wade.

Toxins?

But it looks so pretty! Especially the blue part. Kind of reminds you of Cancun (if not Gabon). Don’t be fooled!

Cyanobacteria can be very dangerous. The World Health Organization has documented acute impacts to humans from cyanobacteria from the US and around the world as far back as 1890. While most human health impacts have resulted from ingestion, illnesses have also been attributed to swimming in cyanobacteria infested waters. Exposure to toxic cyanobacteria scums may cause various symptoms, including nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, mild fever, skin rashes, eye and nose irritations, numbness and general malaise. Some studies even suggest cyanobacteria may be linked to more serious illnesses.

NOAA warns that people often get sick by eating shellfish containing toxins produced by these algae if found in a larger water body; obviously, shellfish aren’t found in sand pits. However, the algae, they say, are often found in stagnant water which is found in sand pits.

The airborne toxins, says NOAA, may cause breathing problems and, in some cases, trigger asthma attacks in susceptible individuals.

According to Robin Cypher of the TCEQ, “Some strains of cyanobacteria can produce toxins (cyanotoxins) in concentrations that are harmful to humans, pets, fish, and wildlife. Cyanobacterial blooms can also produce secondary compounds which can cause taste-and-odor problems in public water systems.”

 “Cyanobacteria are a group of photosynthetic bacteria found in surface waters throughout the country,” says Cypher. “Similar to algae, cyanobacteria can rapidly multiply forming thick blooms, especially in warm, nutrient-rich waters.”

How to Report Cyanobacteria Blooms and Learn More

Sightings of fish kills or suspected harmful blooms can be reported to Texas Parks and Wildlife Department’s 24-hour communications center at 512-389-4848.

Sources of information about harmful algal blooms include:

TPWD Harmful Algal Blooms

USGS Harmful Algal Bloom (HAB) Science in Texas

EPA Cyanobacterial Harmful Algal Blooms (CyanoHABs) in Water Bodies

Safety Warnings

If you’re out hiking in the woods and you see such water:

  • Do not wade or swim in the water, especially near surface blooms.
  • Do not drink the water; avoid drawing lake water.
  • Do not let pets or livestock into or near the water; dogs are especially vulnerable to toxic cyanobacteria.

Now if someone asks you, “What made that water turn color,” you will know. And more important, you can warn them.

Posted by Bob Rehak on 2/24/2020 based on information from Harris County Flood Control

909 Days after Hurricane Harvey

HCFCD Launches Channel Repair Projects in Walden on Lake Houston and Kingwood

Yesterday, a reader, Donna Hanna Dewhirst, sent me pictures of a dredging operation beginning in the channel that cuts through Walden on Lake Houston. Today, I photographed it from the air.

Walden Project Kicks Off

That’s the Walden Mouth Bar in the distance. So far, though, dredging activity has focused upstream near the country club.
HCFCD classifies the project as a repair, though it is not yet listed on HCFCD’s repair page for this area. Photo by Donna Hannah Dewhirst.
De-watering the spoils before transport. Photo by Donna Hannah Dewhirst.

Typically, in a project with wet dirt like this, contractors “de-water” it by letting it drain on the banks for a while. Once dry, they haul it away. HCFCD sent dirt from Ben’s Branch to a cleaning facility to ensure they weren’t transporting any dangerous bacteria or organisms living in the mud. From there, it’s reused in landscaping and other projects.

Reverse angle, looking upstream toward excavation in background on left.

Reader Jeff Bayless volunteered, “This is called Rogers Gully and drains a large part of Atascocita. This is actually the 2nd time they have removed sediment from this location. They finished the first round right before Imelda and lined the banks with riprap and fresh top soil further upstream all the way to Framingham Road. Had it looking good then Imelda hit and washed all their new soil back into the downstream parts by the County Club. This also made the mouthbar in the lake larger and shallower. My fear with the large mouthbar is if Atascocita gets a Kingwood May 7 type flash flood, the mouthbar will push drainage water into the homes along this gully. Hopefully the mouthbar removal is a real project that will happen before flooding occurs.”

Series of Ditch Repairs Begins in Kingwood

Work on Ben’s Branch is now approximately 50% complete, according to Beth Walters of HCFCD.

Meanwhile, more channel repairs have started in Kingwood within the last few weeks. They consist primarily of erosion and outfall pipe repairs. Repairs are so numerous, HCFCD had to group them into a a series of smaller projects to expedite bidding and repairs. The project include:

  • G103-41-00-X008: Two damage sites (5622 and 5622A) consisting of slope erosion, toe line repair, and channel scour.
  • G103-38-00-X020: Three damage sites (5416, 5680, and 5682) consisting of bank sloughing and erosion repair.
  • G103-38-01-X014: A series of voids on the southern side of the channel. One void is very large and the concrete paving has begun buckling. Another void is above an outfall pipe that will need to be replaced. Access is limited and encroachments are present.
  • G103-38-00-X021: Slope erosion has progressed and will eventually begin to affect the concrete channel lining. Also, some sediment has built-up and needs to be removed.
  • G103-38-01-X010: One damage site consisting of slope erosion.

To see the locations of these channels, zoom waaaaay in on the map.

Funding for most of these repairs comes from NRCS (Natural Resources Conservation Service), which is part of the US Department of Agriculture.

Posted by Bob Rehak on 2/13/2020 with photos from Donna Hannah Dewhirst

899 Days since Hurricane Harvey

By Itself, Lake Conroe Discharge During Harvey Among Top Ten West Fork Floods of All Time

The roughly 80,000 cubic feet per second (CFS) Lake Conroe discharged at the peak of Harvey would have created the ninth largest flood in West Fork History – all by itself. Only eight floods ever had higher “discharge” rates AND those all included floodwaters from other tributaries, such as Lake Creek, Spring Creek, Cypress Creek and numerous drainage ditches.

Discharge is the volume of water flowing past a point on a stream. Discharge from a dam would be the volume flowing past the gates.

The discharge during Harvey is important because residents fighting the seasonal lowering of Lake Conroe claim the impact of the release on Humble and Kingwood was insignificant.

Question I Asked Flood Control

So I asked Jeff Lindner, Harris County Flood Control meteorologist, this simple question. “Assuming not a drop of rain fell in any other of the West Fork tributaries, where would that 80,000 CFS have ranked among the history of West Fork floods?” I then asked him to base his analysis on the West Fork gage at US59. It combines water from ALL upstream West Fork tributaries. It’s also the closest gage in continuous operation to the highly populated Humble/Kingwood corridor. That’s where the vast majority of Lake Houston Area damage occurred during Harvey.

Only eight floods have ever exceeded 80,000 CFS at US59.

They occurred on:

  • 8/28/17 (Harvey)
  • 10/18/94 (Previous Record Flood)
  • 11/26/40
  • 5/31/29
  • 5/29/16 (Memorial Day)
  • 11/15/98
  • 5/7/35
  • 4/21/16 (Tax Day)

Note: three of these events happened before the construction of Lake Conroe in 1973. All since the advent of Lake Conroe flooded West Fork structures.

One Statistic Addresses Host of Issues

This observation (ninth largest flood by itself) addresses a host of issues raised by Lake Conroe people about lowering the lake seasonally to create a buffer against downstream flooding. They contend that:

  • In the grand scheme of things, the Lake Conroe release during Harvey had an insignificant impact on flooding in the Humble/Kingwood area.
  • Kingwood always floods.
  • Imelda proves that Kingwood will flood even when Conroe is not releasing water.
  • There’s no need to create extra storage capacity to offset future floods.

What Records Really Show

On the contrary:

Will Two Feet Matter?

Lowering Lake Conroe two feet in advance of another Harvey will probably not make much of a difference. Likewise, lowering it two feet in advance of 1-inch rain would be unnecessary. The real value happens somewhere between those extremes in a 10-, 25-, 50- or perhaps even a 100-year storm. Somewhere along that spectrum, we will get enough rain to perhaps flood homes, but we’ll also have enough extra lake capacity to avoid actually flooding them.

We just don’t know where that point is right now. Jing Chen, the engineer with Harris County Flood Control managing the San Jacinto River Basin Study says that project will not be far enough along to model those scenarios until August of this year.

However, the SJRA feels the lower lake levels did help avoid flooding between Humble and Kingwood in May of last year. I concur. It’s also possible that the two foot lowering might create enough of a buffer to have avoided flooding many homes along the West Fork during the Tax and Memorial Day floods in 2016. Perhaps it wouldn’t have saved them all. But it might have avoided flooding many at the periphery of a flood.

Increasing Upstream Detention Capacity: A Proven Flood Mitigation Strategy

According to Matt Zeve, Deputy Executive Director of Harris County Flood Control, holding water upstream is a proven flood mitigation strategy. Engineers in the Houston area created upstream detention more than 80 years ago with the Barker and Addicks reservoirs. Braes Bayou now has five different detention areas; White Oak Bayou has five with another under construction.

Such detention areas collect water during a storm and then release it slowly after a flood passes.

The extra storage capacity created by lowering Lake Conroe 1-2 feet works the same way. The idea: to reduce the amount and/or rate of water released during a flood to help avoid downstream property damage.

SJRA Mission and Lake Conroe History Includes Flood Prevention

The enabling legislation of the SJRA mentions flood prevention three times. Moreover, the area now occupied by Lake Conroe was considered for floodwater detention as early as 1957, as this Master Plan for the SJRA that year shows – i.e., on the map below. Many of these proposed lakes/reservoirs serve a dual purpose according to Zeve. They help prevent floods AND supply water.

Page 29 of SJRA Master Plan from 1957

This map puts to rest another rumor spread by the Lake Conroe Association. They claim Lake Conroe was never conceived as a flood control reservoir; it is strictly a water supply reservoir. See the discussion of flood control starting on page 16 of the 1957 Master Plan. Then on page 27, see Exhibit A.

It shows the SJRA considered building 20 dams that year.

So far it has built only one: Lake Conroe.

Therefore, Lake Conroe is currently the only way we have to mitigate flooding until we put other mitigation measures in place.

Posted by Bob Rehak on 1/23/2020

877 Days since Hurricane Harvey

Note: A reader’s question on Facebook prompted this post. But I can’t find his name now. My apologies. No offense intended.

HCFCD Lower Ben’s Branch Clean-out Project Nears Final Stretch

The project to remove approximately 76,285 cubic yards of sediment from the lower reaches of Ben’s Branch in Kingwood is nearing its goal.

High-Priority Ben’s Branch Project Began Last August

This was a high priority project for Harris County Flood Control District (HCFCD) not just because of the sedimentation, but because of the destruction it helped cause during Hurricane Harvey.

  • 12 seniors from Kingwood Village Estates died either as a result injuries sustained during evacuation, or the stress of losing everything they owned.
  • Every home in the Enclave flooded: 283 out of 283.
  • All homes in Kingwood Greens flooded: 225 out of 225.
  • More than half the homes in Fosters Mill flooded: 346 out of 549.
  • The Kingwood Country Club flooded.
  • The Deerwood Club flooded.
  • 100% of the businesses in Kingwood Town Center flooded.
  • 100% of the businesses in Kings Harbor flooded.
  • Kingwood High School flooded to the second floor.
  • Kingwood’s library flooded.
Scope of project starts at red line on Kingwood Drive and curls south to the YMCA, where oval intersects West Lake Houston Parkway and blue line.
Construction crews today were working on both sides of the West Lake Houston Parkway Bridge just above the Y.

The Ben’s Branch cleanup began last August, but suffered a setback during Tropical Storm Imelda. Much of the sediment that had been piled on the sides of the channel washed back into it during the storm.

Crews Making Up for Lost Time Since Imelda

Since then, however, Flood Control crews have been making up for lost time. Construction weather has been almost ideal. I took all the photos below on the afternoon of 1/7/2020.

Contractor pulls sediment from Ben’s Branch under the West Lake Houston Parkway Bridge.
Just west of the WLHP Bridge, adjacent to Kingwood Greens in the background, another excavator was pulling sediment from Ben’s Branch and pushing it closer to shore…
…where yet another excavator was loading dump trucks. Contractors will remove an estimated 7,000 loads from the stream.
On the East side of the WLHP bridge, two more excavators tag-teamed more sediment. While one worked the shoreline…
Another broke up clumps of sediment and pulled it from the stream.
The current downstream extent of work is just north of the YMCA. That bend in Ben’s Branch behind the excavator is the final bend in the project.

For More Information

HCFCD expected the Ben’s Branch project to take 9 months. That would put completion in April. At the current rate, the contractor should make that date and perhaps beat it.

For more information about the project, consult the Kingwood pages of the HCFCD website. The project ID is # G103-33-00-X004 – Bens Branch Conveyance Restoration.

All Kingwood residents will breath easier when HCFCD finishes Ben’s Branch.

Posted by Bob Rehak on 1/7/2020

861 Days since Hurricane Harvey and 110 since Imelda

Overflow Spillways: Simple Idea to Help Keep Street Flooding Out of Homes

Overflow spillways in could have prevented many homes from flooding in May and again in September. Rain came down so fast in some neighborhoods that it couldn’t get through storm drains and into drainage ditches fast enough. Water backed up and flooded homes. I’m not talking about flooding like Elm Grove experienced from an external source. I’m talking about situations like we had in Mills Branch where approximately 25 homes flooded. They flooded, says the resident, when water backed up in the street, not because Taylor Gully overflowed.

Now Required in New Neighborhoods

Over the weekend, I corresponded with a Mills Branch resident who has anguished over what to do for months. In some cases, but not all, there may be a simple, relatively low-cost answer for the whole neighborhood. Overflow spillways. And Mills Branch might be a perfect candidate.

Matt Zeve, Deputy Executive Director of Harris County Flood Control, pointed out that regulations in newer neighborhoods now require, where applicable, overflow spillways.

How Overflow Spillways Work

These work for neighborhoods adjacent to drainage ditches, streams or bayous. The channel is built at an elevation that retains water in the street during heavy storms, but lets it flow out before it reaches the level of homes. Obviously, the street must slope toward the spillway. This wouldn’t work for homes in the middle of a block that formed a natural bowl. But assuming conditions are right…

Can Be Retrofitted to Older Neighborhoods

I asked Zeve if the Flood Control District could retrofit this concept to older neighborhoods. The answer: YES, if there’s a home between the neighborhood and the ditch that can be bought out to create space for the spillway AND if that home has flooded repeatedly.

Here are some pictures of the overflow relief spillways in place. The first goes into a retention pond.

The second goes into some woods that apparently contain a natural drainage channel.

Zeve says the Flood Control District has been buying homes and converting them to overflow spillways in key areas around the County.  These homes are in the lowest points and have flooded repeatedly.

Posted by Bob Rehak 1/6/2020, with thanks to Harris County Flood Control

860 Days since Hurricane Harvey and 109 since Imelda

From Drought to Floods: The Decade in Review

Jeff Lindner, the Harris County Flood Control District Meteorologist compiled this Decade in Review. After a very dry start, the decade ended incredibly wet. We started with five years of below normal rainfall (2010-2014). Then rains and floods returned in 2015 and continued through 2019. For the period from 2010-2014, the rainfall DEFICIT for BUSH IAH was -56.70 inches. For the period from 2015-2019, the rainfall SURPLUS was +69.78 inches.

Five Deficit Years…

2010: 42.72 (-7.07)

2011: 24.57 (-25.2)

2012: 43.32 (-7.45)

2013: 38.84 (-10.93)

2014: 43.72 (-6.05)

Followed by Five Surplus Years

2015: 70.03 (+20.26)

2016: 60.96 (+11.19)

2017: 79.69 (+29.92)

2018: 56.02 (+6.25)

2019: 51.93 (+2.16)

The decade featured one of the most significant droughts since the 1950’s across the state of Texas and a series of floods that rivals any period of flooding ever experienced in this state.

Jeff Lindner, Harris County Flood Control Meteorologist

1. Hurricane Harvey (2017)

Harvey made landfall at Port Aransas on August 27, 2017 at 10:00 pm as a category 4 hurricane with 130mph winds producing extensive wind damage across portions of the Texas coastal bend. A maximum wind gust of 132mph was recorded at Port Aransas and 118mph at Copano Bay. Harvey would then meander slowly east-northeast across portions of southeast Texas and the extreme northwest Gulf of Mexico producing record breaking rainfall and flooding.

A maximum total rainfall of 60.58 inches was recorded at Nederland, TX with over 10,000 square miles receiving over 35 inches of rainfall.

Across Harris County, on average 33.7 inches of rainfall occurred, resulting in record flooding along many of the bayous and creeks. In additional inflows into Addicks and Barker Reservoirs resulted in record pool elevations (exceeded Tax Day by 6.0 feet) in both reservoirs and significant flooding of structures located within the flood pools. Water flowed around the north end spillway of Addicks for the first time since the completion of the dams in the 1940’s.  In Harris County alone over 154,000 homes were flooded and statewide over 250,000 homes were damaged from either flooding or wind. An estimated 500,000 vehicles were damaged or destroyed.

In the counties of Jefferson, Orange, Hardin, and Tyler upwards of 110,000 structures were flooded which is about 33% of the total number of structures in these four counties.

The highway 96 bridge over Village Creek near Silsbee, TX was completely washed away. In Fort Bend County over 200,000 residents were asked to evacuate due to flooding from Barker Reservoir, the Brazos River, and local drainage issues with some 8,700 homes being flooded. Over 9,000 homes were flooded in Brazoria County and over 7,000 in Galveston County. Many of the creeks, bayous, and rivers in southeast Texas surpassed previously held flood records by several feet.

More than 100,000 residents were rescued across southeast Texas by both government and civilian resources with more than 40,000 sheltered in over 150 shelters.

Over 336,000 customers lost power during the hurricane mainly across the coastal bend from wind related damages, but also in the Houston and Beaumont areas from flooding.

Harvey resulted in 125 billion dollars in damage making the hurricane the second costliest hurricane in American history (behind Katrina 2005). Harvey is the worst flooding event to ever impact the United States and resulted in the highest death toll from a landfalling tropical system in the state of Texas since 1919 with over 68 direct fatalities (36 in Harris County alone).

2. Drought/Wildfires (2011)

One of the worst droughts to impact the state of Texas and southeast Texas occurred in 2011 resulting in widespread mandatory water restrictions, the loss of millions of trees, and significant wildfires. High temperatures during the drought were some of the warmest on record and exceeded the extreme heat of the summer of 1980.

For the period from February 1 to August 18, Hobby Airport only recorded 6.36 inches of rainfall breaking the previous driest record from those dates by 6.25 inches. On August 27, 2011, Houston IAH reached a high temperature of 109 at 2:44pm which tied the hottest all-time temperature from September 4, 2000 for the city of Houston.

Over the Labor Day weekend of 2011, primed vegetation from the drought combined with strong winds of 30-40mph on the western side of Tropical Storm Lee over Louisiana produced one of the most devastating wildfire events in Texas history. The Bastrop fire burned over 35,000 acres and some 1600 homes and is the single most devastating wildfire in Texas history.

The tri-county fire (Waller, Grimes, Montgomery Counties) burned over 19,000 acres and some 100 homes. In September 2011, the statewide PDSI index fell to -7.97 or its lowest values ever, indicating the 2011 drought was nearly as equal in severity as the drought of record in the 1950’s.

For 2011, Tomball averaged a rainfall deficit of over 40 inches. Overall statewide water storage fell to 58.78% at the end of October 2011 and Lake Conroe fell to -8.0 feet below its conservation pool. Lake Travis fell to -54.61 feet below its conservation pool or (34% capacity). 644 jurisdictions across the state were under mandatory water restrictions.

The City of Houston also recorded 47 days above 100 degrees (previous record was 32 in 1980). Huntsville recorded 72 days above 100 (previous record was 43 in 1980). The incredible heat of August 2011 was estimated to be a 10,000 year return event for the City of Houston.

3. Tropical Storm Imelda (2019)

Tropical Storm Imelda formed 15 miles off the coast of Brazoria County and made landfall near Freeport on September 17, 2019. Imelda would slowly drift north-northeast across SE TX during the 18th and into the 19th.

Early on the morning of the 19th an extensive band of heavy thunderstorms producing extreme amounts of rainfall developed from Jefferson County to east-central Montgomery County.

Rainfall rates under this band frequently exceeded 4.0-5.0 inches per hours with a few locations receiving over 6.0 inches per hour.

This band of excessive rainfall drifted south-southwest in Harris County by mid morning. 31.0 inches of rainfall was recorded in just 12 hours at Fannett, TX near the Chambers/Jefferson County line with a storm total of 44.29 inches of rainfall at that site.

The 44.29 inches recorded at Fannett, TX makes TS Imelda the 4th wettest tropical cyclone in Texas history and the 5th wettest in US history dating back to 1851.

A 48-hour rainfall total of 29.1 inches was recorded in northeast Harris County near Huffman with 30.4 inches recorded in southeast Montgomery County near Plum Grove. 6.5 inches of rain fell in just 1 hour over the Aldine area of Harris County.

The resultant flooding in Jefferson, Liberty, Chambers, and portions of northeast and north central Harris County equaled and in some cases exceeded that of Harvey.

While overall storm total rainfall amounts were less than Harvey, the duration (intensity) at which some of the rainfall occurred in certain areas was much greater for Imelda than for Harvey yielding in certain instances areas that would flood in Imelda and not Harvey. 3,990 homes flooded in Harris County alone. Several thousand flooded in Montgomery, Liberty, Chambers, and Jefferson Counties.   

4. Tax Day Flood (2016)

On April 17-18, 2016 a slow moving to at times stationary cluster of thunderstorms producing excessive rainfall rates developed over portions of Waller, Austin, northern Fort Bend and western Harris County. Over the next 12 hours rainfall amounts of 12-24 inches would occur from southern Waller County into portions of western Harris County resulting in extensive and severe flooding.

The flooding resulted in 9 fatalities in Harris, Waller, and Austin Counties (7 in Harris County) with an estimated 40,000 vehicles flooded and 9,840 homes flooded in Harris County alone.

A maximum 14.5 hour rainfall rate of 23.50 inches was recorded in Pattison in southern Waller County with 19.30 inches occurring at Monaville in 10 hours.

Modern day record flooding occurred along Cypress Creek and in portions of Addicks Reservoir (only to be exceeded a year later by Harvey).

Significant flooding occurred along the lower Brazos River, only to be exceeded a month later when 20 inches of rainfall fell near Brenham, TX. Addicks Reservoir peaked at its highest level ever recorded at 102.65 feet (only to be exceed by Harvey the following year).

5. Memorial Weekend (2015)

Devastating flooding impacted the state of Texas over the Memorial Day weekend in 2015. The initial onslaught began with excessive rainfall and resulting catastrophic flooding along the Blanco River at Wimberley where the river rose over 30 ft in less than 3 hours. It reached a peak elevation of around 40.2 ft (flood stage 13ft) and exceeded the previous record of 33.3 ft (an 86 year old record).

The Blanco River at San Marcos rose 17 ft in 30 minutes and over 29 ft in 2.5 hours.

Over 1000 residents were displaced and over 350 homes in Wimberley destroyed and washed away. The storm killed 13 persons including 8 from a single river house that washed away. The Ranch Road 165 and Fischer Store Rd bridges across the river were completely destroyed and the Ranch Road 12 bridge sustained significant damage.

The following day, a line of intense thunderstorms would originate in central Texas and move into southeast Texas and slow over southwest Harris County. A total of 8.0 inches of rainfall would fall in a 3 hour period.

11.0 inches fell in 12 hours north of US 59 and Beltway 8 resulting in extensive flash flooding. The first ever Flash Flood Emergency was issued for Harris County at 10:52pm. There were 7 fatalities in Harris County (4 from submerged vehicles at underpasses).

Statewide a total of 27 people died in flash flooding. Flooding along Brays and Keegans Bayous was the most extensive since September 1983 and along Buffalo Bayou since March 1992 and TS Allison (2001).

A total of 6,335 homes flooded in Harris County and an additional 3,540 multi-family units flooded. Some of the same homes would be flooded a year later with the “Tax Day Flood” and all would flood again during Harvey 2 years later. 

That’s the decade in review! If you weren’t browning, you were drowning. Any time your friends and family in other states start complaining about the weather there, send a link to this page to them.

Posted by Bob Rehak on 12/31/2019

854 Days since Hurricane Harvey and 103 since Imelda

2019 Weather: Year In Review

Jeff Lindner, Harris County Flood Control District Meteorologist compiled this “Year in Review” summary. My thanks to Mr. Lindner and all the other folks at Harris County Flood Control who work so hard to make us aware of and protect us from extreme weather. On average, we had an extreme-weather event somewhere in the county every other week during the year. Some will be tough to forget.

Only 25 Days of Extreme Weather in 2019

January 1: Widespread dense fog with frequent visibilities under .25 of a mile and several locations recording zero visibility develop just after midnight and lasted into the mid morning hours. Air quality sensors recorded extremely unhealthy levels during this episode due to fireworks smoke being trapped near the surface.

January 19: severe thunderstorms produced wind damage in Wharton and in portions of Galveston County. 

January 23: back edge of ending rainfall mixed with and changed over to light snow/sleet. Some very light accumulation on rooftops.

February 5: Galveston experienced over 24 hours of sea fog.

April 6: several reports of baseball size hail over Houston, Madison, and Brazos Counties

April 7: Large bow echo produced wind damage over much of SE TX. 62mph wind recorded on Galveston Is and 63mph in Brazos County. EF 1 tornado touchdown in Pasadena destroyed one building. Strong winds overturned several travel trailers at Crystal Beach on Bolivar Peninsula.

April 13: EF 3 tornado strikes Weches in Houston County killing 1 person with a path length of 15 miles and width of 800 yards. EF 3 tornado touches down in Lovelady, TX in Houston County with a path length of 3.9 miles and width of 100 yards. Damage was significant along the tracks of both tornadoes. These tornadoes were part of a larger outbreak that included the Hearne, TX and Franklin, TX tornadoes. Dime to golfball size hail was reported from Bunker Hill to Spring Branch.  

April 24: Tornado touches down 4 miles east of Bryan, TX producing damage to 1 house and 4 commercial buildings. The tornado was rated EF 2 at maximum intensity.

May 3: EF 2 Tornado strikes LaGrange, TX. EF 0 Tornado in Eagle Lake, TX, EF 0 tornado near Tomball TX. 62mph wind gust at Eagle Point.

First Large Rain in Lake Houston Area

May 7: 10-12 inches of rainfall across portions of Kingwood and Fort Bend Counties leads to flash flooding. Over 400 homes were flooded in both areas.

May 9: 4-6 inches of rainfall in a short period of time across central Harris County led to flash flooding. Baseball size hail damaged several properties on the north side of Downtown Houston

June 5: 9.25 inches of rainfall occurred at Lane City and 7-8 inches in western Fort Bend County. US 59 in both directions was inundated at Kendleton, TX and homes flooded. Flash flooding reported in Wharton, Boling, Bay City and Pledger. 

June 6: 61mph wind gust recorded at San Luis Pass TCOON site. 18-wheeler overturned on I-10 around Columbus due to strong winds.

June 16: 64mph wind gust recorded at Bryan, TX. Glass door blown out of a building on TAMU campus.

June 23: Heat fatality. Child died from being left in a hot car on Bolivar Peninsula.

June 24: 58mph wind gust recorded at Crab lake WeatherFlow site. Lightning strikes caused 2 house fires in western Harris County.

June 25: 70mph wind gust reported NNE of Eagle Point over Galveston Bay.

June 29: 61mph wind gust reported at Galveston North Jetty. Large portions of Bolivar Peninsula were without power.

July 13: Hurricane Barry makes landfall along the south-central Louisiana coast. Impacts to SE TX included elevated seas and tides and a few showers in the western side of the circulation

July 23: a rare summer cool front dropped lows into the 60’s

August 8: the overnight low at Galveston failed to fall below 86 degrees and an afternoon heat index of 117 was recorded requiring a rare Excessive Heat Warning for the extreme coastal areas of SE TX.

August 14: 3 construction workers in Iowa Colony were injured when the house they were working on was struck by lightning. Lightning also struck an apartment complex off Almeda-Genoa Rd resulting in an attic fire that destroyed 1 unit.

The Big One for Everyone

September 17-19: Tropical Storm Imelda makes landfall over Brazoria County and meanders northward across SE TX producing tremendous rainfall and flash flooding. Early on the morning of the 19th an extensive band of heavy thunderstorms producing extreme amounts of rainfall developed from Jefferson County to east-central Montgomery County. Rainfall rates under this band frequently exceeded 4.0-5.0 inches per hour with a few locations receiving over 6.0 inches per hour. This band of excessive rainfall drifted south-southwest in Harris County by mid morning. 

31.0 inches of rainfall was recorded in just 12 hours at Fannett, TX near the Chambers/Jefferson County line with a storm total of 44.29 inches of rainfall at that site. The 44.29 inches recorded at Fannett, TX makes TS Imelda the 4th wettest tropical cyclone in Texas history and the 5th wettest in US history dating back to 1851. A 48-hour rainfall total of 29.1 inches was recorded in northeast Harris County near Huffman with 30.4 inches recorded in southeast Montgomery County near Plum Grove. 6.5 inches of rain fell in just 1 hour over the Aldine area of Harris County. A total of 3,990 homes were flooded in Harris County alone with an additional several thousand flooded in Montgomery, Liberty, Chambers, and Jefferson Counties.  

Posted by Bob Rehak on December 31, 2019

854 since Hurricane Harvey and 103 since Imelda