WEATHER ALERT DAY: Severe storms with heavy rain moving through as SE Texas under flood watch
HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- It's an ABC13 Weather Alert Day, but our team may extend that into Friday as parts of southeast Texas continue to get pounded with severe storms and heavy rain.
The heavy rain from these storms has prompted flash flood warnings throughout the morning, and we may not be done yet as the area remains under a Flood Watch.
Street flooding, severe winds, large hail and a brief tornado are among the concerns for the biggest threats.
As you head to your destination throughout the day, remember to pad in some extra time. And, if you come across a flooded roadway, turn around, don't drown.
Several Houston-area school districts are also either closed Thursday or delaying opening due to the inclement weather.
The Flood Watch runs along and north of I-10 for the following counties in the ABC13 viewing area:
Austin, Colorado, Grimes, Harris, Liberty, Montgomery, Polk, San Jacinto, Trinity, Walker, Waller, and Washington. Widespread totals of 2-5" are expected within the watch with isolated amounts in the 6-9" range.
Why is it so stormy this week?
The weather pattern this week features strong jet stream winds over Texas, which is pushing disturbances through the state that can morph into thunderstorm complexes. These complexes can be difficult to predict more than 12 hours in advance, so stay informed and nimble with your plans this week. While our confidence grew that one storm complex would rumble through parts of southeast Texas Thursday morning, we also believe another will be possible Friday.
Are there any more cool fronts coming ahead of summer?
It no longer looks like we'll get a front during the first week of May, but there's still a chance one more cool front could make it down here before the summer heat settles in for good. In fact, next week we see a heat ridge building in that will push our highs into the low 90s for the first time in 2024...stay cool!
13 ALERT RADAR MAPS:
Montgomery/Walker/San Jacinto/Polk/Grimes Counties
Fort Bend/Wharton/Colorado Counties
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