Pix of the Day

Heavy rains hit Houston, bayous overflow in several places

UPDATE: As of 9:30 a.m. Sunday, the Harris County Flood Control District issued this update:

Area bayous and creeks are draining, and the following conditions were reported in the most heavily affected watersheds:

• South Mayde Creek remains out of banks at Greenhouse Road (just north of Interstate 10 near Katy) but should be back within its banks by late morning. This is likely resulting in flooding of nearby streets and sections of Cullen Park.
• Keegans Bayou is back within its banks (southwest Houston near Sugarland).
• Brays Bayou is back within its banks.
• Clear Creek continues to rise as water from tributaries drains into the main channel, but the creek is within its banks and should remain so with water beginning to recede early this afternoon.

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The rains finally came.

While Houston has been in drought mode most of the year, the area was peppered with heavy rains on Saturday. The Harris County Flood Control District reports that from 3 to 7 inches of rain fell in sections of west and southwest Harris County within a matter of hours. Parts of Brazoria County also were hard hit.

Flood Control District officials noted that as of 9:15 p.m. Saturday the following bayous and creeks were at capacity or overflowing:

• South Mayde Creek out of bank at Greenhouse Road (just north of Interstate 10 near Katy)
• Keegans Bayou near bankfull at U.S. 59 (southwest Houston near Sugar Land)
• Brays Bayou out of bank at Lawndale Street, and near bankfull from Gessner Road to West Loop 610

A Flood Control District map of rainfall levels indicates that the Sugar Land/Missouri City appeared to be the hardest hit with nearly 8 inches of rain reported late Saturday night.

The intense, heavy rainfall caused widespread street flooding. CultureMap contributing photographer Michelle Watson took these photos of Braes Bayou at Chimney Rock within a couple of hours Saturday night. She said that cars were abandoned in the middle of the street and on medians in the area.

While six inches of rain fell on Hobby Airport, only a quarter of an inch fell on Bush Intercontinental Airport.

KHOU reports that the National Weather Service has extended a flood warning until 7:42 a.m. Sunday for Harris County. A Severe Thunderstorm Watch is also in effect until 1 a.m. on Sunday for the following counties: Austin, Brazoria, Calhoun, Chambers, Colorado, Fort Bend, Galveston, Grimes, Harris, Jackson, Liberty, Matagorda, Montgomery, Polk, San Jacinto, Walker, Waller, Washington and Wharton.

The storms forced cancellation of the March of Dimes March for Babies at the University of Houston Sunday morning and evacuation of 30 patients at Kindred Hospital East Houston East in Channelview to other hospitals after power went out about 1:30 a.m. Sunday and backup generators failed to operate.

However, those living in north and northwest Houston received far less rain. While six inches of rain fell on Hobby Airport, only a quarter of an inch fell on Bush Intercontinental Airport.

Waters from Braes Bayou lap at Chimney Rock at 7 p.m. Saturday.

High water at Braes Bayou at Chimney Rock in Houston on April 27, 2013

Photo by © Michelle Watson CatchLightGroup.com

Waters from Braes Bayou lap at Chimney Rock at 7 p.m. Saturday.

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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