HOUSTON -

Rain moved into the Houston area Tuesday, ahead of what is expected to be strong storms on Wednesday.

"I think we're going to start seeing things tomorrow morning on the west side and then in Houston right around noon," KPRC Local 2 chief meteorologist Frank Billingsley said. "It's so foggy outside ... we're really going to have to watch this because this could just wring out the atmosphere and produce heavy rain in some areas. Flooding is certainly not out of the question."

Meteorologists predict a stormy Wednesday and a cooler Thursday.

"It looks like the big window of opportunity is 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.," Billingsley said.

A low-pressure system in New Mexico will bring the intense storms, KPRC Local 2 meteorologist Anthony Yanez said.

"It will have a lot of thunder and lightning, and possibly a tornado as it spins on through," Yanez said.

7 Day Planner

"One to 3 inches (of rain) will be fairly common. Some isolated areas will get 4 to 6 inches," Billingsley said. "As we know, that's enough to cause flooding problems. If this 1 to 3 comes quickly, we can only handle about 2 inches of rain in an hour and then we go into flooding."

"If we get any type of training, we get more than that," Yanez said.

The low on Wednesday will be 64 degrees with a high of 72.

Thursday's low will dip down to 48 degrees with a high of 62.

HFD Reminds Drivers To Be Safe

The Houston Fire Department is urging drivers to take precautions and be safe if they have to drive in the storms.

On Jan. 9, firefighters responded to more than 140 water rescues when many parts of the city flooded from severe weather.

Fire officials reminded citizens to "turn around, don't drown."

Flooding is the most common hazard in Houston and many times, individuals are not able to judge the depths of water along roadways and find themselves in perilous conditions.

Officials said 6 inches of water can cause tires to lose traction and begin to slide, and 12 inches of water can float many cars. Two feet of rushing water will carry off pickup trucks, SUVs and most other vehicles.

Water across a roadway may hide a missing segment of road or a missing bridge, officials said.

In flash floods, waters rise so rapidly they may be far deeper by the time you are halfway across, trapping you in your vehicle.

Be especially cautious at night, when it's even more difficult to gauge the amount of water in a roadway.

The safest option is to simply avoid driving over water and find an alternate, safer route, or wait until the danger has passed.

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