Tropical storm watch in effect ahead of torrential rain in Houston
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Several Houston suburbs saw flash flooding Tuesday as the region braces for what will likely be the first named storm of the 2026 Atlantic Hurricane season.
Why it matters: Heavy rains leading up to the system's expected landfall Wednesday near the Texas-Louisiana border will only make the risk of flash floods worse, National Weather Service forecasters in Houston say.
Driving the news: The National Hurricane Center issued tropical storm watches Tuesday for the northwestern Gulf Coast from Sargent, Texas, to Morgan City, Louisiana.
Catch up quick: Rainfall has been sporadic across Southeast Texas since Sunday, saturating the ground and making it difficult for additional rain to be absorbed.
- Between 2 and 6 inches of rain fell across north Harris County and The Woodlands in three hours Tuesday morning. That led to street flooding and several flash-flood warnings from Waller to Conroe.
Threat level: Most of the region's rivers and bayous were within their banks as of 2pm Tuesday, per the Harris County Flood Control District.
The big picture: The storm is expected to dump an additional 4 to 8 inches of rain in parts of Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida, forecasters warn.
- Some spots may get up to 12 inches through Thursday, leading to potentially life-threatening flash flooding.
By the numbers: As of 1pm Tuesday, the system was 55 miles southwest of Corpus Christi, Texas, and moving northeast at 6 mph.
- It had winds of 30 mph and was expected to strengthen. Forecasters expect peak winds of 40 mph, just above the 39 mph threshold required for tropical storm status.
- The system is expected to hug Texas' coast before moving inland late Wednesday or early Thursday. See the latest track.
- Hurricane hunter aircraft were scheduled to fly into the system Tuesday afternoon to gather data on its structure and strength.