Drivers stranded

Stormy Monday: Houston area pummeled by high winds, hail and rain, floodingstreets

Houstonian Jennifer Moore reports, "AH! This is crazy.... I'm off BuffaloSpeedway and 59 by H-E-B."
Photo by Jennifer Moore
CultureMap contributing writer Jayme Lamm warns, "Roads on 610 feeder aretotally flooded, cars stalled everywhere. Office buildings on Weslyan are nowclosing."
Photo by Jayme Lamm
A car was stranded in flood waters gathered beneath I-10 at San Jacinto Mondaymorning.
Photo by Tyler Rudick
The San Jacinto overpass held nearly a foot of water, blocking the I-10 feederroad and stopping north-south traffic.
Photo by Tyler Rudick
Hermann Park
Photo by Avery N. Burns/Lockerz
Westheimer flooded outside Paulie's
Photo by Fulmer/Lockerz

Severe thunderstorms rolled across the Houston area Monday morning, unleashing funnel clouds, hail and heavy rains that soaked much of the city, making roads impassable and stranding drivers.

As of late Monday afternoon, downtown commuters were seeking alternate routes to Interstate 45 North, as Travis and Milan streets were flooded near the freeway entry on the north side of downtown Houston.

KTRK-TV Eyewitness News reported heavy wind damage to homes at Royal Way and Turphin Way in southwest Houston. The station also reported that the Mall of the Mainland shopping center in Texas City was closed after potential tornado damage. Officials at the National Weather Service said the damage would need to be assessed before a tornado touchdown could be officially confirmed.

NWS forecaster Scott Overpeck told CultureMap no other tornadoes have been reported in the area, aside from a Fort Bend sheriff who spotted a funnel cloud in early this morning. Overpeck also reported small hail stones in Fort Bend and Harris counties, with ping pong-sized hail in Wharton County.

"Right now the bayous are doing exactly what their meant to do, which is to move water," said Harris Country Flood Control staff meteorologist Jeff Lindner.

Flooding was the biggest news as bayous struggled to handle the sudden heavy rains in the midst of one of the state's driest periods in recorded history. Flash flood warnings were in effect until the early afternoon for Brazoria, Chambers, Fort Bend, Galveston, and Harris counties.

Just around the corner from CultureMap Houston headquarters near downtown Houston, a Toyota Camry was stranded in nearly a foot of water under the I-10 overpass at San Jacinto. A tow truck was spotted attempting to approach the flooded vehicle, but the water proved too deep for a possible rescue.

CultureMap readers reported flooded streets in Bellaire, Missouri City and near the University of Houston, among other areas.

Harris County Flood Control, which monitors area water flow on a 24-hour basis, reported that natural and manmade flood measures throughout the area are handling the rains fairly well.

"Right now the bayous are doing exactly what they're meant to do, which is to move water," said Harris Country Flood Control staff meteorologist Jeff Lindner.

"The only problem is at the lower end of Braes Bayou around Lawndale, where we're seeing overbank conditions," he reported, noting that this particular area near the Ship Channel is prone to flooding.

Heavy winds and rain stirred up continued unconfirmed reports on the Internet about flooding at Minute Maid Park and a potential roof leak at Reliant Stadium, which maintained considerable roof damage during Hurricane Ike. But officials at both venues said neither stadium was affected by the rains.

Houston METRO users faced delayed bus service due to flooded streets. Light rail service was limited to the Downtown Transit Center and the Preston Station on Main Street for much of the morning. As of about 2 p.m., METRORail restored full service, although high water continues to disrupt bus routes in some areas.

East bound traffic on the Katy Freeway will be diverted onto METRO’s HOV extension until severe roadway flooding is reduced.

Laura Cating of CenterPoint Energy reported power outages to more than 20,000 customers during strong storms in western Harris County just before 11 a.m. CenterPoint will work around the clock until electricity is restored, Cating said, recommending the company's online outage tracker for average wait times.

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income analysis

Texas families need to make this much money for one parent to stay home

Photo by CDC on Unsplash

With costs to raise a child soaring over $20,000 a year in Texas, some households might decide to have one parent work while the other stays at home to raise their child.

As the cost of raising a child balloons in major cities like Houston, many families are weighing the choice between paying for child care or having one parent stay home full-time.

A recent analysis from SmartAsset determined the minimum income one parent needs to earn to support their partner staying at home to raise one child in all 50 states. In Texas — not just Houston — that amount is just under $75,000.

The study used the MIT Living Wage Calculator to compare the annual living wages needed for a household with two working adults and one child, and a household with one working adult, a stay-at-home parent, and one child. The study also calculated how much it would cost to raise a child with two working parents based on factors such as "food, housing, childcare, healthcare, transportation, incremental income taxes and other necessities."

A Texas household with one working parent would need to earn $74,734 a year to support a stay-at-home partner and a child, the report found. If two parents worked in the household, necessitating some additional costs like childcare and transportation, it would require an additional $10,504 in annual income to raise their child.

SmartAsset said the cost to raise a child in Texas in a two-working-parent household adds up to $23,587. Raising a child in Houston, however, is somewhat more affordable. A separate SmartAsset study from June 2025 determined it costs $21,868 to raise a child in the Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands metro.

In the report's ranking of states with the highest minimum income needed to support a family with one working adult, a stay-at-home parent, and one child, Texas ranked 32nd on the list.

In other states like Massachusetts, where raising a child can cost more than $40,000 a year, the report acknowledges ways families are working to reduce any financial burdens.

"This often includes considerations around who’s going to work in the household, and whether young children will require paid daycare services while parents are occupied," the report said. "With tradeoffs abound, many parents might seek to understand the minimum income needed to keep the family afloat while allowing the other parent to stay home to raise a young child."

The top 10 states with the lowest minimum income threshold to support a three-person family on one income are:

West Virginia – $68,099
Arkansas – $68,141
Mississippi – $70,242
Kentucky – $70,408
North Dakota – $70,949
Oklahoma – $71,718
Ohio – $72,114
South Dakota – $72,218
Alabama – $72,238
Nebraska – $72,966

texas income smartasset family