Tropical Depression Imelda strikes southeast Texas

Tropical Depression Imelda lashed southeast Texas overnight — and the National Weather Service Weather Prediction Center warns it could bring heavy rains and life-threatening flash floods.

The latest: A potentially significant flash flood event along the upper Texas coast and Houston may set up overnight, the National Weather Service Weather Prediction Center tweeted just before 11pm ET. Schools across the region canceled Wednesday classes as a precaution, the Houston Chronicle reports.

What's next: Imelda is forecast to bring 6–12 inches of rain with isolated maximum amounts of 18 inches across the upper coastal region of Texas, including the areas of Houston and Galveston — which the New York Times notes is still recovering from Hurricane Harvey, which lingered over the city as a tropical storm in 2017.

• Rainfall amounts of 4–6 inches with isolated totals of 10 inches were possible across portions of southeast Texas and southwest Louisiana through Thursday, the National Weather Service Weather Prediction Center said in an advisory Tuesday.

The big picture: Per the Chronicle, Imelda made landfall in Brazoria County about 1pm CT with sustained winds close to 40 mph, just at the threshold for a NHC tropical storm classification.

• It then weakened, but the potentially heavy rainfall means it remains a serious threat to affected regions.