Photos: High water rescues take place as heaviest rainfall since Hurricane Harvey floods Texas
Multiple days of torrential downpours have taken a toll on southeastern Texas this week. The worst of the downpours are forecast to diminish on Thursday. The heavy rainfall has caused incidents of flash flooding and water rescues.
Houston received a record-breaking 1.26 inches of rain fell on Sunday, nearly five times as much as it had so far in June. This set a new daily rainfall record and also took second place for wettest June day in recorded Houston history.
While Houston itself hasn’t had as much rainfall in comparison to surrounding areas, having received less than 5 inches since the rain began on Sunday, it is the most rain the city has had in any one event since Hurricane Harvey.
At 10 a.m. CDT Tuesday, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott ordered the state operations center to elevate its readiness level as heavy rain and storms continue to impact the region.
"Texas is no stranger to this type of severe weather, and our emergency personnel are ready and well prepared to respond," said Abbott. "Our number one priority is the safety and well-being of Texans, and I encourage everyone in the affected areas to stay safe and heed all warnings from local officials."
On Thursday, Gov. Abbott declaired a state of disaster for six counties in Texas in response to the severe flooding.
At least 15 inches of rain has fallen for the Rio Grande Valley in parts of the area between Weslaco and Harlingen. The heavy rainfall caused major flooding, and more is expected to come, according to AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Heather Zehr.
While the worst of the rain has moved away from Beaumont, the city may still get additional showers and thunderstorms, including downpours.
"This would aggravate the flooding that is already occurring. In this area, there can be another 1 to 2 inches of rain, with as much as 4 inches in downpours," Zehr said.
The airport for Beaumont/Port Arthur received record-breaking daily rainfall on Tuesday with 5.05 inches.
Hildalgo County Judge Ramon Garcia declared a local state of disaster as a result of damages from recent storms.
(Twitter/CityofMcAllen)
Through Thursday morning, "Incredibly moist air will continue to be pushed onshore and result in a prolonged period of showers and thunderstorms from the coast as far inland as San Antonio," said AccuWeather Meteorologist Brett Edwards.
A general 4-8 inches of rain is forecast with local amounts of 12-16 inches. In the rainiest spots, slightly more than a foot of rain may fall.
The heaviest rain is likely to focus from Brownsville and the lower Rio Grande Valley to Corpus Christi and Victoria, Texas.
Downpours are likely to become much more spotty in nature over southeastern Texas to end the week.
The McAllen Fire Deptartment assisted with water rescues around the city on Wednesday, June 20, 2018. (Photo/City of McAllen, Texas)
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