Major flooding remains an issue in northern Austin County
6″ to 12″ of rain fell in the warning area since 5pm Monday
BRYAN, Texas (KBTX) - The National Weather Service in Houston warned of “considerable” flooding in portions of Austin County as a nearly stationary storm dumped a prolific amount of rain over the north side of the county, generally north of TX 159.
The heaviest portion of the storm has remained just to the north and west of Highway 36 / TX 159 for the past several hours, dumping a radar-estimated 6-12 inches.
Law enforcement has reported water over roadways and has closed affected streets in the area until further notice. Several more inches of rain are possible as the storm moves very slowly north and east (almost stationary), which means the flooding potential could get worse before it gets better.
The “Life-Threatening” tag on a Flash Flood Warning from the National Weather Service is one step below a Flash Flood Emergency, which is a relatively rare issuance denoting extreme flooding.
11pm Update
The Flash Flood Warning was allowed to expire and replaced with a FLOOD WARNING that is currently in place until 11:30pm. There is a likely chance that that warning is extended into the overnight hours with floodwaters still over many roads across the northern county.
A FLASH FLOOD WATCH was reissued for Austin County until 7pm Tuesday, due to additional rain and thunderstorms expected Tuesday.
8:45pm Update
Heavy rain has moved out of north / central Austin County where up to one foot of rain fell since 5 pm. The FLASH FLOOD WARNING remains in effect until 9:45 pm. As of the latest update from the National Weather Service and law enforcement, the following roads are closed due to floodwaters:
- Farm-to-Market 2754 near Bleiberville
- County Road 159 at East Mill Creek
- Farm-to-Market 109 at East Mill Creek
- Farm-To-Market 2502 at Williams Creek
7:45pm Update
The Weather Prediction Center (part of the NOAA and the National Weather Service) weighed in on tonight’s storm over Austin County. The greatest and most concerning takeaway: a low-level flow that is extremely moisture-rich and moderately unstable continues to flow into and fee this storm. They note that it could continue for another two to three hours before it weakens. An extremely slow movement to the east around 5mph may drift the heavier rain concern into Western Waller County, south of Highway 290 as the evening wears on.
As of 7pm, there was also broad rotation being noted with this storm. We will continue to bring updates as more are available, but travel is highly discouraged in Austin County, especially in this area, until, and likely several hours after, this storm has passed.
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