A flood watch persisted in southeastern Texas on Sunday, as meteorologists anticipated more rainfall and potential runoff across a vast area spanning over 100 square miles, including Houston. The densely populated city, home to over 2 million people, has been overwhelmed by continuous heavy rain. Emergency crews conducted hundreds of water rescues in Houston and surrounding neighborhoods over the weekend.
Flood watches are issued when various weather conditions increase the risk of flooding, although they do not guarantee imminent flooding. The current flood watch, covering Harris County to College Station and extending eastward towards the Gulf Coast, was expected to last until Sunday evening.
Meteorologists advised residents within the flood watch area to brace for more rainfall and thunderstorms overnight Saturday and throughout Sunday, following heavy rain that had already submerged a significant portion of the region in high waters.
Residents in southeastern Texas, still under flood watches, are preparing for an additional 1 to 3 inches of rainfall on Sunday. However, the National Weather Service has warned that some areas could experience higher amounts, possibly up to 8 inches.
The San Jacinto River is experiencing ongoing flooding, with water levels surpassing their capacity due to the continuous rain. A video shared by the Houston Police on social media captured an officer rescuing a man and three dogs trapped in 8 to 10 feet of floodwater on Saturday morning. The rescue took place in a trailer park near Lake Houston along a section of the San Jacinto River.
"Excessive runoff from the rainfall has led to flooding in various water bodies and low-lying areas, especially in urban regions," stated the National Weather Service in its most recent advisory. River flooding remains a concern on Sunday morning, with levels ranging from moderate to major depending on the specific location.
A severe weather outlook issued for the same region noted that localized flash flooding was also expected, "especially for areas that already received heavy rainfall over the last few days." With that, powerful and potentially damaging winds, large hail and tornadoes could also occur, according to the weather service. The heaviest rainfall was forecast in the morning.
Southeastern Texas has been hit hard by heavy rains over the last week, with Houston and neighborhoods in its vicinity feeling the brunt of the impacts. Hidalgo on Thursday announced that she had signed a disaster declaration for Harris County after the area got more rain than expected the previous night, putting communities near the San Jacinto River at particular risk. But storms have for days imperiled people living in river basins much farther inland, and the disaster declaration for Harris County came on the same day Texas Governor Greg Abbott expanded a broader disaster declaration to include 88 of the state's counties in total.
