Here is where the water and the sky stand across the Lake Houston area on Friday evening, October 2. A National Weather Service Flood Watch covering Harris and Montgomery counties remains in effect until 7 p.m. Central tonight, after a day of heavy rain across the region. A watch means flooding is possible, not that it is happening.
Lake Levels at a Glance
| Lake | Level | Percent full | Reading |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lake Houston | 42.57 feet | 100.0 percent | 5:30 p.m. Central, Friday, October 2 |
| Lake Conroe | 199.81 feet | 94.4 percent | Daily value for Friday, October 2 |
Lake Houston
The United States Geological Survey gauge at Lk Houston nr Sheldon, TX, site number 08072000, read 42.57 feet at 5:30 p.m. Central on Friday, October 2. Over the previous 48 hours the gauge ranged from a low of 42.13 feet at noon Thursday to a high of 42.64 feet at 4 p.m. Friday, so the lake has climbed about half a foot since Thursday midday as rain moved through. The service returned 190 readings across the two day window.
The Texas Water Development Board puts Lake Houston at 100.0 percent of its conservation capacity on Friday, which means the reservoir is sitting at the top of the pool it is designed to hold. The board’s own elevation reading for the day was 42.40 feet, close to the USGS figure, which is the normal level of agreement between the two services.
Lake Conroe
The Texas Water Development Board daily value for Lake Conroe on Friday, October 2 was 199.81 feet and 94.4 percent full. On Thursday it stood at 199.53 feet and 93.1 percent full, so the lake rose about three tenths of a foot in a day and is trending up.
Lake Conroe matters here because San Jacinto River Authority releases from Conroe flow down the West Fork of the San Jacinto River into Lake Houston. The upstream level is part of the local flooding picture in Kingwood, Humble and Atascocita, which is why this paper carries it alongside the Lake Houston gauge.
Weather for the Lake Houston Area
The National Weather Service forecast for the Kingwood gridpoint was issued at 1:21 p.m. Central on Friday.
Tonight. A chance of showers and thunderstorms before midnight, then mostly cloudy, with a low around 73. Northeast wind 0 to 5 mph. Chance of precipitation 40 percent, with new rainfall amounts between a quarter and a half inch possible.
Saturday. A chance of showers and thunderstorms after 10 a.m., partly sunny, with a high near 88 and temperatures falling to around 84 in the afternoon. Northeast wind 5 to 10 mph. Chance of precipitation 50 percent, with new rainfall amounts between a tenth and a quarter inch possible.
Saturday night. A chance of showers and thunderstorms, mostly cloudy, with a low around 72. Northeast wind around 5 mph. Chance of precipitation 50 percent, with new rainfall amounts between a tenth and a quarter inch possible.
No heat index was given for any of the three periods.
Active Weather Alerts
One alert is active for the three counties this paper tracks. A Flood Watch issued by the National Weather Service office in Houston and Galveston at 8:36 a.m. Central on Friday runs until 7 p.m. Central tonight. It covers Harris County, both the inland and coastal zones, and Montgomery County. Liberty County is not included.
The Weather Service reports that much of the watch area has seen 3 to 6 inches of rain over the last 24 hours, with a swath of 6 to 8 inches or more observed from southwestern Montgomery County down through western Harris County. Showers and thunderstorms capable of heavy downpours were expected to continue through the evening, with embedded training rain rates of 2 to 4 inches per hour possible in the deep tropical air mass overhead. The agency says locations that see training storms may experience rapid runoff that could result in flash flooding. The watch is rated severe in severity, with certainty listed as possible.
The Weather Service also lists Walker, Burleson, Brazos, Washington, Grimes, Colorado, Austin, Waller, Wharton, Fort Bend and Jackson counties in the same watch.
Sources
Lake elevation and percent full figures come from the United States Geological Survey and the Texas Water Development Board, and the forecast and alerts come from the National Weather Service office in Houston and Galveston. Gauge readings are provisional and subject to revision by the USGS.
