Flood threat increases in Houston this week

Current radar:

View our current radar below. We will see a few spotty storms continue to arrive from the coast throughout the evening as the first of the tropical rain bands approaches the coast.

Flood monitoring:

A flood watch has been issued for Washington, Colorado, Austin, Waller, Harris, Chambers, Wharton, Fort Bend, Jackson, Matagorda, Brazoria and Galveston counties until 1 a.m. Thursday.

Tropical outlook:

Potential Tropical Storm #1 has formed and will likely become Tropical Storm Alberto on Tuesday in Campache Bay. Heavy rain surges and coastal flooding will become the most significant impacts for most of Southeast Texas.

The center of the storm will remain to the south and make landfall in Mexico. Whatever the training, our impacts are the same. We will see wind gusts up to 30 mph, rough seas, high rip currents and a threat of flooding. We can expect consistent heavy rainfall starting Tuesday evening and continuing through Thursday morning.

What Southeast Texas will see:

Tuesday brings more widespread bands of showers and thunderstorms. Tuesday morning begins with a slight chance of rain, then activity picks up in the afternoon and evening.

Slow movement of the strips will cause a risk of flooding. The risk is moderate (level 3 out of 4), so it must be taken seriously. Street flooding is possible and we will need to watch out for flash flooding Wednesday and Thursday.

Tuesday evening through Wednesday evening will see more widespread tropical showers. Thursday morning, rain begins to move southwest, bringing some dry weather to Southeast Texas.

Rainfall totals through Thursday stand at 6 to 8 inches along the coast and 4 to 6 inches for Harris and Fort Bend counties. Predicted accumulations could exceed 10″.

10-day forecast:

Tropical showers early in the week will keep temperatures in the 80s. Rain chances will diminish over the weekend, but we will remain in a wet pattern along the Gulf Coast next week.