Less Heavy Rainfall Expected for Houston From Gulf Storm

The tropical system meteorologists are tracking off the coast of the Gulf of Mexico could bring less rainfall than initially expected after it organized over Monday night into Tuesday.

According to Eric Berger, meteorologist with Space City Weather, showers are still expected. However, heavier rainfall is forecasted to settle south of the Houston metro area. The parts of the region that could be most affected over the next couple of days include areas in and near southern Brazoria County, Matagorda Bay and Corpus Christi.

For this reason, Space City Weather decreased its initial Stage 2 flood alert to a Stage 1 alert Tuesday morning. Rainfall will likely be the highest near Houston in areas south of I-10, where roughly three to six inches of rain—possibly higher—may accumulate.

Parts of the region along and north of I-10 will see less rain, with about one to three inches forecasted. Some areas could see higher isolated totals, too. Berger emphasized that widespread flooding is not expected in Houston. However, he added that residents should be prepared if they are out and about on the roadways.

Flooding is likely to occur in areas closer to the coast where tides could be a couple feed higher due to the system, particularly on Wednesday. The National Weather Service updated the tropical storm watch to a tropical storm warning on Tuesday afternoon for the northern Gulf Coast.

The system, which could still develop into a tropical storm when it likely enters Mexico, is expected to be a two-day event. Forecasts indicate it will take effect in the Houston area Tuesday night through Wednesday night. It is expected to taper off away from the region starting Thursday morning.

This story will be updated as needed.