Streets, houses flood as storms pound Houston

Homeowners dealing with high water

HOUSTON – Another round of thunderstorms and rain pounded the Houston area Thursday, for the sixth day in a row. A seventh day of rain is expected.

Flood warnings and flash flood warnings were issued for several southeast Texas counties, including Harris, Montgomery, Matagorda and Hardin. A flash flood watch has been issued for all of southeast Texas through 1 p.m. Friday.

"Any amount of rain could cause problems on areas that have already seen it," KPRC Local 2 chief meteorologist Frank Billingsley said.

Strong storms moved into the area early Thursday and dumped several inches of rain.

As of 1:30 p.m., Waller had received 10 inches of rain and The Woodlands had received 7.5 inches. As of 2 p.m., Conroe had received almost 9 inches.

One of the hardest hit areas was in northwest Harris County. Street flooding and downed trees were a common sight in the Cypress and Champions areas. Lightning also struck two homes in a Champions neighborhood.

Spring Cypress Road was under water all morning. Water seeped into a construction business, forcing employees to move items from the ground to on top of tables.

Magnolia reported 6.96 inches of rain by 11 a.m. A rain gauge southwest of the area reported that there had been 8.5 inches of rain there as of 1:30 p.m. Decker Prairie Road near state Highway 249 was among the many roads in the area closed because of floodwaters.

Magnolia volunteer firefighters said they rescued two women who were clinging to trees after they were forced out of their home by rising floodwaters. They said they also rescued six other people in floodwaters.

A shelter has been opened in Magnolia for residents who have been evacuated from their homes. It's at Livingstone Church, 26605 Peden Road.

As of 2 p.m., Sugar Land had received almost 5 inches of rain and Pearland had just over 4 inches. Hobby Airport received just over 3 inches of rain and George Bush Intercontinental Airport had received 2.72 inches of rain.

The storms tapered off in the afternoon.

More Rain Ahead

There is a 50 percent chance of rain on Friday and Saturday. There's a chance for rain every day for the next week.

Billingsley said storms were expected to develop early Friday morning. They were expected throughout the afternoon, too.

He said 1 to 2 inches of rain was expected on Friday.

"Rain chances do go down over time, but I think there's still that vulnerability over the next 24 to 48 hours especially," Billingsley said.

There could be another half-inch on Saturday and another quarter-inch on Sunday, Billingsley said.

There is a 40 percent chance of rain Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.

Storms Cause Travel Issues

High water was reported on roadways throughout the area.

Officials at Houston TranStar are keeping their eyes on freeways with more than 700 cameras on roads throughout Harris County.

"A lot of dangerous driving conditions," said Francisco Sanchez, the public information officer for Harris County Homeland Security. "We're monitoring the weather, we're monitoring the traffic and trying to make sure the bayous are going to be able to respond to the weather."

High water was reported across the area.

In the Tomball area, police blocked off several roads because of high water. Some residents in the area of Zion Road and McKinney Drive put out sandbags because water was coming into their homes. As of 1:30 p.m., Tomball had received 6.5 inches of rain.

Flights were delayed up to 45 minutes at Bush Intercontinental Airport. Travelers were advised to check with their carrier.

At the height of the storm, more than 14,000 CenterPoint Energy customers were without power.

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