Post-Harvey week in review: December 4, 2017

We’re back with another Monday wrap-up of the last week’s stories about Houston’s recovery from Harvey and flooding issues in our region. Feel free to share any that we missed in the comments. If you missed the last two weeks of recaps, you can find them here:

Post-Harvey week in review: November 27, 2017
Post-Harvey week in review: November 20, 2017

Reads of the week

Early results of federal rainfall study show dramatic growth in 100-year storm (Houston Chronicle): An initial study from NOAA (currently in the peer review process) suggests that the rainfall of a 100-year storm in Harris County (a storm that has a 1% chance of occurring in any given year) has increased by 3-5″ since 2001. If that holds up, that has enormous implications on development and how we define floodplains in the Houston area.

Furthering the point that all this is very preliminary, Jeff Lindner of Harris County Flood Control points out that there are still some questions about the gage data and methodology that was used.

This will be an important story to follow in the months ahead.

Developers Said Their Homes Were Out of a Flood Zone. Then Harvey Came. (New York Times): At least 6,000 properties in locations that were redesignated after previously being classified as in flood zones ended up with damage from flooding during Harvey. Map changes are legal and come via raised lots, levees, drainage systems, water-detention ponds, etc. But the margin for error is small, and not all property owners realized this. A provocative story with a focus on The Woodlands.

(Space City Weather is brought to you this month by the Law Office of Murray Newman)

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Winter begins in Houston on Tuesday

The region received more rainfall than expected on Sunday evening, as a warm front moving in from the coast met with moist air, helping to drive rain showers across the area. Rain amounts were greatest near the coast, where some areas of Brazoria and Galveston saw 4 inches of rainfall, and most of Harris county received 0.5 to 2 inches of rain.

Rainfall accumulation on Sunday and Sunday night. (NOAA)

Monday

After what should be a mostly dry morning, much of the region should see more rain today, although it does not appear as though rain showers will be quite so intense. Mostly, I’d expect light to moderate showers under gray skies, with muggy high temperatures near 80 degrees. Rain coverage will probably lessen during the evening hours, but that should change later, overnight, as a strong cold front approaches.

(Space City Weather is brought to you this month by the Law Office of Murray Newman)

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Houston could get a little beneficial rain later this weekend

Happy Friday. It’s been a pretty nice week overall in Houston, and we have another couple nice days coming up. As Eric and I have been discussing, this nice weather has continued to march Texas into drought. November’s 0.50″ of rain in Houston ranks it as the fourth driest November on record for our city. And 90% of that rain fell on November 1st. Things have really just shut down post-Harvey, and we continue to see drought expanding, now evidenced around Houston on the weekly drought monitor report issued Thursday.

So, yes, while it’s tough to really say it, we actually really do need rain now. And we should get at least a little of it Sunday.

Today & Saturday

Both days look stellar to kick off the weekend. Expect sunshine both today and tomorrow with daytime highs in the low to mid-70s on average, with nighttime lows in the mid-50s tonight and upper-50s to around 60° on Saturday night. I wouldn’t rule out some patchy fog Saturday morning, especially south and east of Houston.

(Space City Weather is brought to you this month by the Law Office of Murray Newman)

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Keep your home safe and efficient as the holidays approach

The holidays are upon us. For some, this means travel away from homes for an extended period. For most of us, this means the delivery of packages and the potential for theft. In this sponsored post from Reliant, we discuss a security system that offers peace of mind for homeowners whether you’re traveling, at work, running holiday errands, or otherwise on the go.

Total Home Protection

With Security by Reliant, customers can get around-the-clock security that can be controlled from anywhere so your family and home are always protected. (One need not be a Reliant electricity customer to sign up for security services with the company, the program is open to everyone). Reliant offers a variety of packages and services to fit your unique security needs—Essential, Advanced or Premium plans—each of which offer 24/7 monitoring, access via an app, professional installation and more.

The Perfect Power Partner: Speak and Save 12 plan

Want to bring some tech to your thermostat? The new Nest Thermostat E lets you control your home’s temperature, plan for sudden weather changes and adjust settings while you’re away. This smart thermostat learns your schedule and adjusts automatically based on whether you’re home or away, letting you save energy without lifting a finger. And now, you can control it with a Google Home Mini, simply by saying, “Ok Google, make it cooler.”

(Reliant)

When you sign up for the Reliant Speak & Save 12 plan, you’ll get a Google Home Mini and Nest Thermostat E on Reliant. Additionally, with this plan, you’ll also enjoy 12 months of price security on your electricity.