Tropical Storm Edouard has moved north toward Dallas-Fort Worth, but Spring residents still face scattered heavy rain and a Flood Watch through Thursday afternoon.
Leftover tropical moisture kept the watch in effect for areas north and east of Harris County, according to KPRC meteorologist Rachel Briers. Hit-or-miss showers remained possible Thursday, Sept. 3, with some neighborhoods catching heavy downpours while others stay dry.
The storm made landfall near Johnson Bayou, Louisiana, on Tuesday, Sept. 1, with maximum sustained winds of 50 mph. It tracked north, but the moisture it dragged into Southeast Texas has lingered.
Spring and northern Harris County saw periods of heavier rain overnight into Wednesday, Sept. 2, with 2 to 3 additional inches possible near Spring and Conroe, KHOU reported. The National Weather Service expected 3 to 5 inches across parts of Southeast Texas through Thursday, with isolated totals of 6 to 9 inches where heavy bands repeatedly crossed the same areas, according to CW39. Rainfall rates could hit 3 to 4 inches per hour in the heaviest downpours.
On Wednesday, the NWS placed northern Harris County under a Slight Risk (Level 2 of 4) for excessive rainfall. The highest flash flood risk sat north of I-10 and along and east of I-45, with parts of the Piney Woods under a Moderate Risk (Level 3 of 4), CW39 reported.
The threat is real. NWS Houston warned on Sept. 2 of a significant flash flood threat in the Piney Woods and noted that a third of flood-related fatalities occur on high-risk days.
Harris County's Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management had raised its readiness to Level 3 ahead of the storm. On Sept. 1, the office urged residents to reach a safe location by 2 to 3 p.m. and stay off flooded roads.
Labor Day weekend outlook
Tropical moisture is expected to stick around through the holiday weekend, bringing scattered showers and storms each day. A Sept. 1 forecast from CW39 showed rain chances declining gradually: 50% Thursday, 40% Friday, 40% Saturday, 30% Sunday and 20% on Labor Day Monday. Those numbers may have shifted since the forecast was issued two days earlier.
"Don't cancel those outdoor plans but have a backup to move them indoors," Briers said.
No additional tropical development is expected in the Atlantic over the next seven days, according to KPRC.
How to stay informed
The Harris County Flood Control District directed residents to monitor real-time rainfall totals and bayou levels at HarrisCountyFWS.org and sign up for free alerts at FWSAlerts.org. As we reported Sept. 2, the county's flood warning system tracks conditions across Spring's bayous and creeks in real time.
