We’re starting to see storms fire up in west Texas and Oklahoma which will progressively move eastward across northern Texas later this evening. These storms will likely bring heavy rains, hail and tornadoes to the warning area below, including Dallas-Fort Worth complex. Conditions could get pretty nasty.
Note: This is the first in a series of reports by Matt Lanza that puts the Tax Day floods into perspective, and discusses what Houston should learn from this natural disaster.
On Monday afternoon the Harris County Flood Control District released its first official summary of the historic flooding that occurred last week in the greater region. I’ve read through it and compiled some highlights for here. (You can also view the report yourself in its entirety here). A serious thank you to Jeff Lindner at the flood control district who has worked tirelessly since last week to provide critical, useful, and interesting information to put this event into context and keep the region informed. He is also a must-follow on Twitter if you’re into weather, haven’t done so yet.
Good morning. Before we move on to the potential for inclement weather later tonight, and again later this week, I wanted to note for the record that there was in fact a tornado in Houston on Sunday evening. The National Weather Service confirmed the touchdown of an EF-0 tornado, with 70-mph winds, in League City. It’s track went for 1.4 miles.
TODAY
It’s a warm and muggy morning, with temperatures only falling into the low 70s out there, and we’re going to see a very warm day in the upper 80s under partly sunny skies. Areas in northern Texas and Oklahoma are likely to see strong storms later today, and quite possibly a number of tornadoes. However I do not believe any of these storms will move into the Houston area today.
WEDNESDAY
Some of the energy from the system over northern Texas should sag southward into the greater Houston area by early Wednesday, or mid-Wednesday morning, however. The best chances for storms should come north of Interstate 10, and the primary threats are wind and hail, with tornadoes a lesser possibility. As for timing, for the metro area I expect any line of storms that does develop to move through between about 6am and noon. We are probably looking at widespread rain totals of 0.5 to 2 inches of rain, with greater accumulations to the north. Isolated areas could see higher rain totals. While these storms have the potential to produce a flooding threat, and I’m not ruling that out, I don’t feel as though most areas will see high enough rain totals. (We will be watching it closely all the same).Some lingering showers are possible Wednesday afternoon.
As you may know last Friday, for the first time, Space City Weather sought sponsorship. I’m pleased to say we’ve had great interest. Already we have someone lined up for May, with several months likely to be booked after that as well. If you know someone who may be interested here is a link to more information.
Still, many of you have asked about contributing to the site through micro-donations. Matt and I discussed the possibility of this, but we think the best thing for people to do is make a donation to the flood victims from last Sunday and Monday’s tremendous rainfall. Two of the best ways to do that are:
Houston in general: Salvation Army Houston
Northwest area (hardest hit): Memorial Assistance Ministries
As we get closer to hurricane season we’re also planning to sell some Space City Weather t-shirts by which people can both support the site as well as help us spread the word. We’ll have more information on that in a month or so.
In the meantime, thanks for all the support, and we’ll continue to stay on top of things for you guys.