Storms soaking Houston with heavy rain, lightning into the lunch hours

HOUSTON – Strong storms moved into the Houston area this morning, bringing the risk of heavy rain, frequent lightning, and wind gusts up to 40 mph along the I-10 corridor.

The unsettled pattern returns today as a stalled front north of Houston sparks another round of storms. The biggest impacts are expected during the morning commute and into the afternoon, with downpours, gusty winds, and lightning making for messy travel.

This morning, strong storms are already moving into the I-10 corridor, bringing threats of heavy rain, frequent lightning, and wind gusts up to 40 mph. Expect these storms to impact the morning commute, with more rounds possible through the afternoon.

An aerial flood advisory remains in effect, especially around Friendswood, where up to an inch of rain fell in just 30 minutes. Major roads are fine, but minor flooding is possible on side streets and feeder roads.

The good news: storms over most of the metro have collapsed. Heavy rain lingers south of Houston near Manvel, Hillcrest, and Angleton but should move offshore later this afternoon. Gauges show 1 to 1.5 inches of rain fell in the last hour around Sugar Land and Meadows Place. Street flooding threat is low, though drivers should watch for slick spots and ponding.

An aerial flood advisory was issued for parts of Southwest Harris County, including areas between Highway 59 and US 90, where rainfall rates have reached two inches or more per hour. The advisory is in effect until 11:45 a.m. and could cause street flooding.

There will be waves of storms sent across Texas over the next few days as a stalled cold front stuck just north of Houston will keep us busy in the KPRC 2 Weather Center.

We’ll likely see the inverse of Tuesday for Wednesday, as the atmosphere will reload and produce a good chance for more downpours for the afternoon commute.

There is a chance that these storms will remain quite noisy as they move in with plenty of lightning, strong to damaging winds, and heavy downpours. These storms will continue to hound commuters at times both Thursday and Friday.

When do we dry out?

We should start to see storms wind down on Friday and we’ll be back to a more typical summer pattern for the weekend.