Wednesday brought widespread flooding to the Houston area for the first time in 2017. Though not nearly as severe as the Memorial Day flood of 2015 and the Tax Day deluge last year, heavy rains made traffic a nightmare, flooded homes and closed schools and businesses.
Here’s the first big rainfall of the year, by the numbers:
Flooded structures: 20, including several homes
Reports of flooded streets: 130 (plus 9 for fallen trees in roadways)
Flood-related 911 calls: 75 (according to the Houston Fire Department)
Swift water rescues: 1, in Houston Heights
Towed cars: 132 (according to Houston police). Drivers can find their towed vehicles at findmytowedcar.com or by calling 713-308-8580.
Wettest neighborhood: West U., 7.26 inches
Runners-up: The Heights, 7 inches; Near Northside, 6.76 inches; Downtown, 6.52 inches
What most neighborhoods got: 3 to 5 inches
Deaths and serious injuries: 0
Thursday’s forecast calls for more rain, but the National Weather Service doesn’t expect floods like Wednesday’s. Our advice for Houstonians? Keep an eye towards next week, which looks pretty sunny.
This article appears in Jan 12-18, 2017.
