A flood watch remained in effect for parts of southeast Texas on Sunday, with forecasters expecting several more inches of rain and potentially severe runoff in a huge area that covers more than 100 square miles in total and includes the city from Houston. The densely populated metro center is home to more than 2 million people and has been inundated by constant rains. Crews were made hundreds of water rescues in Houston and surrounding neighborhoods earlier this weekend.
Flood watches are issued when a mix of weather hazards creates favorable conditions for flooding, but does not necessarily mean flooding is imminent in a given region. A flood watch in effect from Harris County, which includes Houston to College Station, would remain in place until Sunday evening. It also spread eastward from greater Houston toward the Gulf Coast.
Houston Chronicle/Hearst Newspap
Forecasters warned people within flood watch boundaries to prepare for additional periods of rain and thunderstorms overnight Saturday and throughout the day Sunday, after earlier rounds of heavy rain packed the area and submerge a wide section of land in high turbid waters.
Crews had already rescued more than 400 people from homes, rooftops and roads Saturday as neighborhoods flooded around Houston, the Associated Press reported, while others prepared to evacuate. Judge Lina Hidalgo, the top judge in Harris County, where Houston is located, said at the time that 178 people and 122 pets had been rescued in that jurisdiction alone. There have been no deaths or injuries related to the severe weather in Houston.
Lekan Oyekanmi / AP
People still on a flood watch in southeast Texas were bracing for between 1 and 3 inches of additional rain Sunday, though the National Weather Service said higher amounts, possibly as much as 8 inches, they could end up happening in some places.
Continued flooding along the San Jacinto River was a major cause for concern as the rain caused its water levels to rise beyond capacity. Houston police shared video on social media showing an officer rescuing a man and three dogs who were trapped in 8 to 10 feet of floodwater Saturday morning. According to police, that rescue took place at a trailer park along a section of the San Jacinto River near Lake Houston.
“Excessive runoff has caused flooding of rivers, streams, creeks and other low-lying, flood-prone locations, especially urban areas,” the National Weather Service said in its latest advisory, noting that river flooding continued Sunday into morning and ranged from moderate to greater depending on location.
A severe weather forecast issued for the same region noted that localized flash flooding was also expected, “especially for areas that already received heavy rainfall over the past few days.” With that could also come powerful and potentially damaging winds, large hail and tornadoes, according to the weather service. The heaviest rainfall is expected in the morning.
Southeast Texas has been hit hard by heavy rains over the past week, with Houston and surrounding neighborhoods feeling the brunt of the impacts. Hidalgo announced Thursday that he had signed a disaster declaration for Harris County after the area received more than expected rain the night before, putting communities near the San Jacinto River in particular danger, CBS affiliate KHOU reported . But the storms have put people living in river basins much further inland at risk for days, and the disaster declaration for Harris County came on the same day that Texas Gov. Greg Abbott left to expand a broader disaster declaration to include 88 of the state's counties in all.
