Rain Swamps Houston
Persistent rain swamps Houston; "Don't roam, stay home," officials urge
The aftermath of Hurricane Patricia swept through the Houston area over the weekend, with persistent rainfall that dropped from four to nine inches of water. While there were pockets of flooding, most roads remained passable as official urged residents, "Don't roam, stay home."
The Harris County Flood Control District reported that the rain gage on White Oak Bayou at Heights Boulevard registered the highest rainfall amount at 9.2 inches. The channel went out of banks overnight, but crested and dropped two to feet in the past few hours on Sunday morning.
Brays Bayou flowed out of it banks at Lawndale for a few hours, but is back within its banks, the Flood Control District reporterd. The bayou was high near neighborhoods that were affected during the Memorial Day storm, but remained within banks and is falling in that area of southwest Houston.
Several streets and roadways are still flooding throughout the county, and many will continue to hold water until bayous and creeks recede. Residents are urged to avoid roads with high water and to drive cautiously while going about their business Sunday.
As of 6:30 am on Sunday, Flood Control District officials reported the following out of their banks:
• South Mayde Creek in west Harris County near Interstate 10 and Greenhouse Road
• Cypress Creek at Cypresswood Drive in north Harris County
• Taylors Bayou at Shore Acres Boulevard east of SH 146 in far southeast Harris County
The following are near bankfull, but falling:
• Buffalo Bayou at Shepherd Drive near downtown Houston
• Buffalo Bayou at Milam Street in downtown Houston
• Brays Bayou at Lawndale in southeast Houston
• Hunting Bayou at Lockwood Drive in east Houston
• Halls Bayou at Jensen in northeast Houston
• Armand Bayou at Genoa-Red Bluff in southeast Harris County
• Clear Creek at Interstate 45 in south Harris County
• Clear Creek at Mykawa on the south Beltway 8
• Clear Creek at FM 528 near Friendswood
• Clear Creek at Bay Area Boulevard in south Harris County
• Cedar Bayou near SH 146 in far east Harris County
All other Harris County bayous and creeks are responding, but remain within banks.
Another two inches of rain is predicted for Sunday. Many events in the area have been cancelled due to the inclement weather.
The Flood Control District urges all residents to monitor rainfall and bayou water levels on its Harris County Regional Flood Warning System website (desktop and mobile versions) at www.harriscountyfws.org. The website features color-coded icons on an interactive map to indicate if a bayou or creek is close to, or out of its banks.