Heavy rain and storms bring some flooding

HOUSTON

ABC13 Chief Meteorologist Tim Heller says two to four inches of rain fell across southeast Texas yesterday and Tuesday. That was enough to fill some streets with water for a while during the afternoon hours and send one bayou a couple of feet over its bank.

The National Weather Service issued a Flood Warning for Mayde Creek in west Harris County after the water jumped 7 feet yesterday afternoon because of the heavy rain. The creek flooded some streets along the waterway, but did not impact any homes in the area . The water was below flood stage by 7:40pm yesterday and it's expected to continue to fall today.

In west Houston, firefighters suspect a lightning strike sparked an afternoon house fire. The homeowner says he is very thankful because his family is usually home during that time, but happened to be away when it started. Although no one was injured, a pet was killed in the fire.

Power outages also were a problem. At one point, CenterPoint Energy reported nearly 15,000 customers were without power.

The Texas Department of Transportation says flash flooding is the leading cause of weather-related deaths in the state, and as little as six inches of water can float some vehicles.

It's why the city of Houston activated its Emergency Operations Center a precautionary measure.

But despite the anticipation, no reports of significant flooding were made. Houston TranStar showed minimal impact on the roads and the Flood Control District said its 132 gauges showed rainfall totals were low enough to prevent widespread flooding.

Another slow moving storm moves into Houston this weekend, brining more heavy thundershowers. That system could impact the Chevron Houston Marathon.

Weather warnings are posted as soon as they are issued on the ABC13Weather Twitter page. You can also follow @HellerWeather Facebook and Twitter pages for analysis of the storms as they develop.

Also, the city of Houston has an alert system that notifies residents of emergencies via email.

To report flooding, you can contact the Harris County Flood Control District at 713-684-4000. Officials stress that this number is really only for a property flooding, not street flooding.

Within the city of Houston, 311 is for non-emergency help; 911 is only for true emergencies like high water rescues. Houston has 12 boats and large trucks ready for those.
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