HOUSTON -- Another round of strong storms hammered the Houston area Wednesday, causing streets to flood and stranding motorists, KPRC Local 2 reported.

An urban and small stream advisory expired for Harris and Fort Bend counties at 4 p.m.

"This water is slow to drain," KPRC Local 2 chief meteorologist Frank Billingsley said. "An inch-and-a-half to 2 inches of rain has been common. We are finally getting a bit of a break as far as actual rain (as of 3 p.m.). Part of the problem was these places that got it got it today got it yesterday as well, so it didn't take much and it didn't take long to cause flooding problems."

Strong storms hit Stafford and Pearland at about noon, and moved to the north side by 3:30 p.m. Heavy showers pounded the far southwest side, near Wharton, as of 4 p.m.

"Three inches of rain fell north of Conroe," Billingsley said.

But the moisture in the Gulf seemed to be drying up. Harris County only had to deal with light and moderate rain by early evening.

"I'm not seeing a lot of moisture behind (these storms), so that's good news. We should continue to see things quiet down," Billingsley said. "I don't think we'll see a whole lot more as we head into the evening hours. I think it's done."

However, a low-pressure system will continue to sit in the northern part of the state, which pulls in the moisture from the Gulf.

"That's going to be there, it looks like, for some time to come -- at least into the beginning of the weekend," Billingsley said.

A 60 percent chance of rain is forecast for Thursday and Friday, with a high of 90 degrees and a low of 74.

The chance of rain decreases to 40 percent Saturday and 30 percent on Sunday.

High water flooded out vehicles on the southwest side of town, especially on West Bellfort near the Southwest Freeway.

A woman and her 10-month-old granddaughter became stranded when their minivan stalled in the floodwaters.

A KPRC Local 2 crew helped them get to dry ground. The water was above their knees.

An Alief school bus took a shortcut over a median in order to bypass the high water.

Tow trucks eventually pulled out the stranded vehicles when the water receded.

More Weather:

• Click2Houston.com Weather Section
• Severe Weather Alerts
• Live Animated VIPIR Radar Loop
Weather Maps and VIPIR Radars
Texas Radar
Animated Texas Radar
Southern Plains Radar Loop
• National Maps
• 7-Day Forecast
Monitor Approaching Storms With Premium Weather
Sign Up For Desktop Weather Alerts

Check Traffic Now:

• Houston TranStar Real-Time Traffic Map
• Traffic Pulse Real-Time Traffic Map
• Traffic Section
• Houston Transtar
• Texas Dept. of Transportation Web site or call 800-452-9292
• Harris County Office of Emergency Management Web site

Construction Information:

Map: Freeway Construction Projects
TxDOT Freeway Construction Schedule

Airline and Airport Links:

Check For Flight Delays
Houston Airport System: Bush Intercontinental and Hobby Airports
AirTran Airways
American Airlines
ATA Airlines
Continental Airlines
Delta Airlines
Frontier Airlines
JetBlue
Northwest Airlines
Southwest Airlines
United Airlines
U.S. Airways
FAA Links For Passenger Information

GET BREAKING NEWS ALERTS: