Millions still under flood watch as southeastern Texas braces for more rain

A flood watch remained successful effect for parts of southeastern Texas connected Sunday, pinch forecasters expecting respective much inches of rainfall and perchance superior runoff crossed a immense area that altogether covers much than 100 quadrate miles and includes nan metropolis of Houston. The densely populated metro halfway is location to much than 2 cardinal group and has been swamped by consistently dense downpours. Crews carried retired hundreds of h2o rescues successful Houston and nan surrounding neighborhoods earlier successful nan weekend.

Flood watches are issued erstwhile a substance of upwind hazards creates favorable conditions for flooding, but they do not needfully mean that flooding is imminent successful a peculiar region. A flood watch presently successful effect from Harris County — which includes Houston each nan measurement to College Station — was group to stay successful spot done Sunday evening. It besides extended eastward from greater Houston toward nan Gulf Coast.

A Houston firetruck makes it measurement done flood h2o aft terrible flooding. Houston Chronicle/Hearst Newspap

Meteorologists warned group wrong nan flood watch boundaries to hole for further spells of rainfall and thunderstorms overnight Saturday and passim nan time connected Sunday, aft erstwhile rounds of dense rainfall drenched nan area and submerged a wide conception of onshore successful murky precocious waters. 

Crews had already rescued much than 400 group from homes, rooftops, and roadways by Saturday arsenic neighborhoods flooded astir Houston, nan Associated Press reported, while others prepared to evacuate. Judge Lina Hidalgo, nan apical charismatic successful Harris County wherever Houston is located, said astatine nan clip that 178 group and 122 pets had been rescued successful that jurisdiction alone. No deaths aliases injuries tied to nan terrible upwind person been reported successful Houston.

A man waves astatine Texas Parks & Wildlife Department crippled wardens arsenic they get by vessel to rescue residents from floodwaters successful Liberty County, Texas, connected Saturday, May 4, 2024. Lekan Oyekanmi / AP

People still nether flood watches successful southeastern Texas were bracing for betwixt 1 and 3 inches of further rainfall connected Sunday, though the National Weather Service said higher amounts — perchance arsenic overmuch arsenic 8 inches — could extremity up happening successful immoderate places.

Ongoing flooding on nan San Jacinto River was a main origin for interest arsenic rainfall caused its h2o levels to emergence past capacity. Houston Police shared a video connected societal media that showed an serviceman rescuing a man and 3 dogs who were trapped successful 8 to 10 feet of floodwater connected Saturday morning. That rescue happened successful a trailer parkland on a conception of nan San Jacinto River adjacent Lake Houston, constabulary said.

"Excessive runoff has resulted successful flooding of rivers, creeks, streams, and different low-lying and flood-prone locations, peculiarly municipality areas," nan National Weather Service said successful its latest advisory, noting that stream flooding continued Sunday greeting and ranged from mean to awesome depending connected nan location. 

A severe upwind outlook issued for nan aforesaid region noted that localized flash flooding was besides expected, "especially for areas that already received dense rainfall complete nan past fewer days." With that, powerful and perchance damaging winds, ample hail and tornadoes could besides occur, according to nan upwind service. The heaviest rainfall was forecast successful nan morning.

Southeastern Texas has been deed difficult by dense rains complete nan past week, pinch Houston and neighborhoods successful its vicinity emotion nan brunt of nan impacts. Hidalgo connected Thursday announced that she had signed a disaster declaration for Harris County aft nan area sewage much rainfall than expected nan erstwhile night, putting communities adjacent nan San Jacinto River astatine peculiar risk, CBS connection KHOU reported. But storms person for days imperiled group surviving successful stream basins overmuch farther inland, and nan disaster declaration for Harris County came connected nan aforesaid time Texas Governor Greg Abbott expanded a broader disaster declaration to see 88 of nan state's counties successful total.

In:
• Houston
• Severe Weather
• Texas
• Flooding