A weather system was upgraded overnight to Tropical Storm Edouard, but forecasters say only some parts of Harris and surrounding counties will see heavy rain and flooding late this afternoon and evening, and the storm should pass through quickly.
As of noon Tuesday, 1,074 of CenterPoint Energy’s 2.9 million customers were without power. However, the region hadn’t yet seen the worst effects of the storm, which Space City Weather meteorologist Eric Berger said is likely to hit the Houston area in the mid-to-late afternoon. The storm was expected to make landfall on the Texas-Louisiana border around 3 p.m.
“Rain chances today will depend on whether you live in the eastern (higher) or western (much lower) half of the Houston region,” Berger posted around 7 a.m. “Although we are not expecting widespread disruptions due to weather in Houston and its surrounding suburbs today, please do remain weather-aware as there could still be strong thunderstorms with heavy rain that develop in localized areas. Due to wraparound showers from the center of Edouard, as it moves inland, we could see more rain tonight.”
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott announced Monday evening that he’s prepared to deploy resources across the state if flash flooding occurs.
“It is essential that individuals prioritize their personal safety and stay away from rising water,” Abbott said at a press conference in Austin. “This is the first tropical storm Texas has faced this calendar year, so take this opportunity to gather supplies like food, water and gas. Most importantly, follow guidance from local officials over the next 24 to 48 hours.”
Houston Mayor John Whitmire offered similar advice at a Tuesday morning briefing at the Houston Emergency Center and highlighted measures his office has taken to ensure an efficient response, such as lowering lake levels and setting up barricades in flood-prone areas to deal with potential storm runoff. High-water rescue vehicles and boats are staged and ready to respond if needed.
Whitmire emphasized that the city is open for business and doesn’t anticipate any reduction in service, including METRO light rail and bus system.
“I’m very hesitant to have press conferences about the weather because it’s so unpredictable,” he said. “Beryl [in 2024] was supposed to go into Mexico. It turned and came here. We’re better prepared today than ever in Houston’s history. We’ve got you covered.”
Whitmire confirmed that the most significant impacts are expected east of Interstate 45, and while residents in some parts of the 600-square-mile City of Houston may get heavy rain, others could remain completely dry.
Abbott noted that tropical-storm-force wind gusts along the coast could cause isolated power outages. He said the state remains in coordination with electric power providers, the Public Utility Commission of Texas, and ERCOT to monitor grid conditions and support a rapid response if any storm-related outages occur.
CenterPoint Energy activated its Emergency Operations Center on Monday and encouraged its customers across a 12-county region to sign up for outage alerts and restoration time estimates.
CenterPoint’s Chief Communications Officer Keith Stephens told the Houston Press on Monday that the power company has 2,700 crews on standby, ready to respond to outages. CenterPoint also did some proactive work over the weekend and on Monday, inspecting lines and substations and clearing hazardous vegetation.
Nathan Brownell, CenterPoint’s vice president of resilience and capital delivery, said in a statement Tuesday that the team is “fully focused on responding to the impacts of Tropical Storm Edouard and restoring power to customers experiencing outages safely and as quickly as possible.”
CenterPoint will host a press briefing at 5 p.m. Tuesday to discuss anticipated overnight conditions leading into the Wednesday morning commute.
Berger said Beaumont and Port Arthur could see wind gusts above 40 or 45 mph today, but in the greater Houston area “we likely will only see gusts up to 25 mph or so.”
“One exception is Chambers County, which could see gusts up to 35 or 40 mph this afternoon as Edouard moves inland. In terms of storm surge, impacts in the Houston and Galveston region will be limited. A larger storm surge, of 3 to 5 feet, is possible from High Island eastward into southwestern Louisiana.”
Most of Harris and Galveston counties will see rain accumulations of 1 to 2 inches at most, Berger said.
So maybe Edouard won’t cause mass death and destruction, but emergency responders appear to have learned lessons from previous storms like Hurricane Beryl a couple of years ago. As Whitmire mentioned, the storm wasn’t supposed to even hit Houston, but a total of 69 people died in the weather event and more than 2.7 million Texans lost power.
Anticipating inclement weather on Tuesday, 20 area school districts, including Channelview, Crosby, Deer Park, Galena Park, High Island, Humble, Liberty, Pasadena, Splendora and Tarkington, closed for the day, as did the Harris County Department of Education. It was unclear whether any districts would remain closed on Wednesday.
At Tuesday’s press conference, Houston Director of Emergency Management Brian Mason said Edouard would be “more of a rain event versus a wind event” for Houston. Heavy rainfall can be expected through the late afternoon and evening into Wednesday morning, Mason said.
“Please make sure you are getting weather updates from a trusted resource,” he said. “Please pack your patience if you’re out and about and please do not drive through ponded water. Unless you really need to be somewhere tonight, please stay off the road. Once we get everyone home from school and we get situated for the night, hang inside, maybe binge-watch a TV show and spend some time with the family.”
