HOUSTON – TUESDAY: We’re tracking a low but real severe weather risk for both Tuesday and Wednesday for our viewing area for Excessive Rainfall.
Article Overview:
- Future-track is showing the peak time for heavy rain around 4–5 am for areas to the west
- More concentrated focus on Houston around sunrise
- More widespread around noon.
You can track radar here: Before you leave your house Tuesday morning.
Tuesday’s Severe Weather Threat:
The main concern is excessive rainfall. The NWS Service defines a Marginal Risk as a 1 out of 4 for excessive rainfall — that’s at least a 5% chance that rainfall will exceed local flash flood guidance in some spots. Meaning, we’re tracking isolated instances of high water, flash flooding, or just excessive runoff.
Localized heavy rain could lead to minor flooding, with rainfall rates possibly peaking in the 2–3 inches per hour range.
- That means those intense downpours can hit the ground so fast that they quickly overwhelm streets and create rapid runoff.
WATCH: So what does it mean when we say the ground is saturated?! How does it relate to a flood risk.
Now that you know our weather risk for Tuesday, let’s talk about timing:
This can still change, but it gives you a good idea of the pattern so you can plan your day.
While we’ll see the chance for rain throughout the day on Tuesday, right now the future-track is showing the peak time for heavy rain around 4–5 a.m. for areas to the west. That activity then shifts east, with a more concentrated focus on Houston around sunrise and becoming more widespread around noon.
Weather and Traffic Together:
One 2025 study on crash risk during rainfall in Texas, looking at data from 2006 to 2021, found that rain significantly elevates crash risk. I don’t think that’s a surprise, but I was interested in the numbers.
The study showed rain increases crash risk by an average of 38%, and that risk peaks sharply in the early morning hours from 4 to 8 a.m. That’s because of reduced visibility during the night-to-morning transition, lower driver alertness, and the slippery, dangerous conditions rain creates on our roadways.
Take it slow on the roadways Tuesday morning!
Brittany