SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH issued for the entire Brazos Valley overnight Tuesday

BRYAN, Texas (KBTX) - Strong-to-severe thunderstorms are expected in the Brazos Valley overnight Tuesday, prompting a SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH for all area counties:

• Brazos, Burleson, Grimes, Houston, Lee, Leon, Madison, Milam, Robertson and Washington through 3 a.m. Wednesday
• Austin, Montgomery, San Jacinto, Trinity, Walker and Waller through 5 a.m. Wednesday

The main concern through the overnight hours continues to be strong, scattered wind gusts upwards of 65 mph, especially along the leading edge of the line of storms. A few instances of hail up to the size of quarters will also be a possibility along with frequent lightning and pockets of heavy rainfall.

12:00 am Wednesday PinPoint Radar Update:

10:45 pm PinPoint Radar Update:

9pm Update

A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH has been issued for Lee County until 3am. The primary concern remains damaging wind gusts as storms cross I-35 and move into the area. The specific wording included with the watch is for the potential of gusts as high as 80mph. Large hail to the size of a baseball has also been mentioned, although that threat is more likely for areas of Texas southwest of the Brazos Valley.

No other counties in the Brazos Valley have been included in a watch at this time.

8:45pm Update

The Storm Prediction Center has included more of the Brazos Valley in the 3 out of 5 risk for severe weather overnight. The risk has been extended south by 30 to 40 miles and now covers most of the area.

Damaging wind gusts 50-60mph+ remain the concern as a line of storms plows through between 10 p.m. and 3 a.m. A brief, weak tornado concern is not ruled out across the Northern and Central Brazos Valley through 2 a.m.

The setup: A large low pressure system & it’s associated cold front will continue to spark up storms across the state today. For the Brazos Valley, those storms aren’t expected to arrive until Tuesday, drifting in from the north and west.

The greatest severe potential comes right with the initial push of storms, but heavy rain & non-severe rumbles may continue into early Wednesday.

Impacts: The primary threat with this activity will be strong, damaging winds. There’s growing concern that storms will be capable of over 60mph wind gusts, especially across the northern half of the area. Some stronger embedded portions of the storms could contain large hail, and an isolated, brief tornado cannot be ruled out at the moment, but is not the chief concern.

Though this morning’s rain was, at best, drizzle and sprinkles, some areas of localized flooding are still possible, especially as we near the early Wednesday drive.

Timing: As of 5 pm Tuesday evening, severe thunderstorms are already up and running to our west, across portions of the Big and Hill Country. Storms will continue to drift eastward through the remainder of the evening, and are currently slated to reach our northwestern counties as early as 11 pm, working south and east through the course of the overnight. Remember, a couple additional rounds of heavy, but non-severe storms are possible into the morning drive Wednesday.

Be sure to keep your PinPoint Weather App handy with notifications turned on before heading to bed! We will continue to update you here, on social media, and on air as necessary.

Lingering rain and storms early Wednesday will taper off through the first half of the day, and while most will likely see a drier afternoon, a few spotty showers can’t be ruled out as this disturbance heads east. Calmer weather is in the works through the second half of the week and will also lead us into the upcoming Memorial Day Weekend.

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