Posted By Staff
(CNN)—Tropical Storm Bill hasn’t been quite the storm meteorologists anticipated, but it was still bringing significant rain to areas of Texas that have dealt with significant flooding.
Some areas near Houston had nearly 2 1/2 inches of rain Tuesday, the National Weather Service said. Forecasters were concerned that the storm would dump much more rain overnight.
“North side of TS #Bill has strong storms to contend with tonight,” the Weather Service’s office in Houston tweeted.
There were flash flood warnings for southeastern counties, the last of which was due to end at midnight local time.
The storm system is expected to dump 4 to 8 inches in eastern Texas and Oklahoma, with up to 12 inches in isolated spots in Texas. Western Louisiana and Arkansas are expected to see up to 4 inches of rain.
Bill made landfall at 12:45 p.m. ET Tuesday just south-southwest of Port O’Connor on Matagorda Island, CNN affiliate KTRK reported.
The rain is bad news for a state recovering from last month’s record-setting rains and deadly flooding.
“While high winds and even tornadoes are possible, already wet grounds mean that even a moderate amount of rain will likely cause street flooding,” warned Harris County Emergency Management. “Bayous and rivers could go out of banks quickly, creating a serious threat to life and property.”
Flash flood watches are posted from Central Texas to Oklahoma, eastward through parts of Arkansas, Missouri and Illinois over the next three days, CNN’s weather team reported.
“This is a rain event,” said Harris County Judge Ed Emmett on CNN’s “New Day.” “People need to be aware that places that have flooded before are likely to flood again.”
