Weekend forecast all too familiar
New storms could bring floods, hail, high wind and tornadoes to area
More powerful thunderstorms are expected to batter the Houston region Friday and through the weekend, sparking threats of flooding, high winds, hail and tornadoes.
Rain, meteorologists expect, should start Friday, with scattered showers and thunderstorms in the afternoon. Heavier rain then is expected overnight, amplified by high moisture levels in the area. It should slow down Saturday morning, with scattered showers and thunderstorms that afternoon.
The heaviest rains are expected north and northwest of U.S. 59, with anywhere from 1 to 5 inches. The thunderstorms could bring isolated tornadoes, damaging winds and hail, the National Weather Service said.
A flash flood watch for the area begins at 1 p.m. Friday through 7 a.m. Sunday, according to the weather service. It includes Harris, Fort Bend, Waller, Austin, Grimes, Montgomery and Walker counties. Areas to the south and east of Houston are not expected to be affected.
Most of the bayous and creeks in the area have come down from the recent flooding, meteorologist Charles Roeseler said. Cypress Creek, however, is still slightly elevated. It’s not yet clear which areas might be hit hardest by any new flooding.
The recent storms have left the ground throughout much of the region saturated, raising the risk of fallen trees even from light wind. Downed trees could lead to power outages.
“The ground is so soft the weight of the tree can
come down on its own, let alone with wind,” Roeseler said.
The ground saturation could also turn heavy rain into runoffs more quickly, increasing the risk of flooding.
The rain is predicted to persist into Sunday and Monday.
The storms come days after another bout of severe weather packing high winds uprooted trees and downed power lines in the region.
Wednesday, a 62-yearold woman died when a tree fell on her home near Tomball. Dozens of other toppled trees badly damaged several homes. More than 120,000 customers lost power.
Much of the area is still drying out from even deadlier flooding, especially in northwest and north Harris County when another line of powerful thunderstorms hit April 18 and rainfall lingered for days. Eight people died in those storms. suspect wore a green shirt with a red stripe on the left front side of it.