Instead of training storms on Tuesday night, Houston got saved by a freight train

A ferocious line of storms roared through Houston on Tuesday night, producing a biblical amount of lightning, threatening with tornadoes, throwing down some hail, and dropping buckets of rain. But there was a silver lining—a silver lining that if I’m being honest I did not fully anticipate—with these storms. Rather than slowing to a crawl as they moved into Houston, these storms kept right on trucking. Yes, the storms produced intense rainfall rates as high as 4 inches per hour, but as the heaviest bands of rainfall kept moving on there simply was not enough time for serious flooding.

Houston radar at 11:21 pm CT on Tuesday night as the storms kept moving. (Radar Scope)

Can I get an amen?

Seriously, I’m not sure I’ve ever been so happy to observe a radar absolutely lit up by bright red hues, indicating intense rainfall rates, as I was tonight. Because those storms kept on moving through. Instead of slow-moving storms that trained over our areas, we got a freight train. Choo-choo!

If I sound a bit loopy tonight it’s because I’m just so tired of writing about horrendous floods in Houston. Tax Day floods. Memorial Day floods. Halloween floods. Hurricane Harvey. Tropical Storm Imelda. Beta. It goes on, and on, and on. So tonight it feels amazing to write that Houston did not flood. I can write that this line of storms, which could have been very, very bad for the region, was by-and-large not bad. We had an hour of fire and brimstone, most everyone got 1 to 3 inches of rain, and then this system moved along.

So what comes next? The rainfall and threat of severe storms is moving to the east, and offshore, for the night. Some light to moderate rainfall may persist across Houston during the overnight hours, but this will not pose a significant flooding threat. Going to work, school, or other activities on Wednesday morning should be fine.

It looks as though we may see some additional rounds of showers and thunderstorms coming through later on Wednesday, after the atmosphere has a chance to recharge, and then again on Thursday. Given that I still have some slight concerns about areas just east of Houston on Thursday, I’m going to leave our flood scale alert at Stage 2 for now. But given more data by the morning we may be able to ratchet that back a bit. Matt will have an update by around 7 am or before on Wednesday.

31 thoughts on “Instead of training storms on Tuesday night, Houston got saved by a freight train”

  1. Eric, you’re the best! I stayed up to read your promised update and now I can sleep peacefully.

    • Absolutely an Amen!!! Prayed prayed this ugly storm would move right on out!!! We are out in Tarkington prairie between cleveland n dayton. Not a fllod zone but flooded in harvey and imelda. This rain is very bsd. Seems the rain always hsmmers this area.

  2. Amen for sure! I watched the radar as the storm approached me. The red dissipated and the orange parted around me to quickly move by. Still hearing the thunder close by. My cat keeps waking up.

  3. You guys are the best! The only one’s i trust for weather. Thank you for giving me a few hours of sleep!

  4. Thank you Eric! I pushed through that tornado warned storm yesterday coming back home to Spring yesterday from Florida. I have never seen so much water in my life! It was so scary on I-10 through Lake Charles! Never in my life! Thank you for your updates.

  6. Thank you for the late night ( early morning?) update. I fully expected to be awake all night monitoring the rainfall. Having flooded both Tax Day and Harvey, the PTSD is real! Still a good bit of thunder out here in Cypress but only light rain. And with your encouraging words, I feel comfortable going to sleep without worrying I’ll wake up to water in the house. Appreciate all y’all do to keep us so well informed

  7. “Producing a biblical amount of lightning” just made my night. I never thought that I would read any weather updates, until I found Space City Weather.

  8. Eric. The storms ferocity literally heightened before us and after passing over us. I love the Lord with all my heart and once again He preserved us

  11. How did the coastal communities do? Seems like the red and orange stayed there for a while.

  12. Looking at a 3:30 am ABC 13 radar map, the yellow areas just won’t go away as this thing moves NE slowly. Yellow area seem to be increasing.

  13. Eric, thank you for all your work. You give us the weather info straight without any hype, and I appreciate that very much.

  14. Oh no, this freight train is not that fast for the east Pearland area. It has been raining non stop since 10:30 pm or so and is still raining now at 4:45 am. I don’t walk at all fast but this train is moving so slowly, I’m positive I can walk along it. It’s so slow, I can even hop on it. 😫

    • Same in Wear Pearland. Rain, thunder and lightning all night and still raining quite steady.

    • Appreciate Matt & Eric’s continual updates. It rained nonstop overnight in the south east tip of the City of Houston (AKA south sector District E – Councilman Martin’s District, specifically Pipers Meadow Subdivision). My rain gauge said 3.5 inches of rain from 7:30 pm Tuesday to 7;30 am Wednesday. HCFCD needs to get some better or additional rain gauges. Still raining steadily Wednesday morning. Numerous homes in our area flooded in May 13, 2015 (AKA flood the city forgot) and Hurricane Harvey. Eric and Matt’s updates are accurate & truly informative without the hype.

  16. I am addicted to getting these Wx reports. It is so neat to get the real deal, very accurate, with timely updates as needed of Houston metroplex weather.
    0K fellow watchers, “This is what you can expect.”
    It be fun to observed how “spot on” that “Space City Wx team” gets forecast very precise to what really happens.
    As a retired “Long Haul Aviator” who had a ton of weather reports to sort thru on world wide trips, i can still appreciate the professional efforts that Eric produces.
    All the Best.
    Willcox747

  19. What does Friday evening look like and would it so far be safe to travel to Houston from San Antonio? Does it look like the stuff on Thursday will likely clear out of the way before then? My parents are supposed to help me move and I’m concerned for their safety.

  22. AMEN! Vacationing in New Mexico and I can enjoy myself after your reports! You are the best!

  23. I join you on being weary of flooding in Houston. One of the main reasons I’ll be leaving next year, Lord willing and the creek don’t rise (literally). Without flood control and better drainage this city is toast

    • Just so you know, it has flooded in Houston ever since the day it was built. The Allen brothers actually sent out advertising depicting the area as the Alps. Liars. WHere will you go? To Dallas where people die of the heat or perhaps California?

Comments are closed.