Good evening from the Lake Houston area. Both lakes are in their normal range on Thursday evening, and there are no flood watches, warnings or advisories in effect for Harris, Montgomery or Liberty counties. Hurricane Isaias is in the Gulf, but every watch and warning tied to it remains east of Texas, and the local forecast carries almost no rain through Friday night.
Lake Levels at a Glance
| Lake | Level | Percent full | Reading |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lake Houston | 42.49 feet | 100.0 percent | 5:30 p.m. Central, Thursday, October 8 |
| Lake Conroe | 199.83 feet | 94.5 percent | Daily value for Thursday, October 8 |
Lake Houston
Lake Houston read 42.49 feet at 5:30 p.m. Central on Thursday, October 8, on the U.S. Geological Survey gauge at Lk Houston nr Sheldon, TX, site 08072000. Across the previous 48 hours the gauge ranged from 42.49 feet to 42.60 feet, so the lake has drifted down about a tenth of a foot from its midweek high and is sitting at the low end of its own two day range.
The Texas Water Development Board lists the reservoir at 42.55 feet for October 8 and at 100.0 percent of conservation capacity. That is a daily value rather than an intraday one, which accounts for the small difference from the 5:30 p.m. gauge reading. Lake Houston has been at 100.0 percent of conservation capacity every day this month.
Lake Conroe
Lake Conroe stood at 199.83 feet and 94.5 percent full in the Texas Water Development Board daily value for October 8. That is down two hundredths of a foot from 199.85 feet on October 7, and down a tenth of a percentage point from 94.6 percent, continuing a slow decline that has run through the week. This is a once daily figure, not an intraday reading.
San Jacinto River Authority releases from Lake Conroe flow down the West Fork of the San Jacinto River into Lake Houston, which is why the upstream level matters in Kingwood, Humble and Atascocita. A falling Conroe level with no release event behind it is the quiet version of that relationship.
The Forecast
The National Weather Service forecast for the Kingwood area was generated at 4:21 p.m. Central on Thursday, October 8. No heat index was given for any of the next three periods.
Tonight: Clear, with a low around 67. Northeast wind 0 to 5 mph. Chance of precipitation 0 percent.
Friday: Sunny, with a high near 92. Northeast wind 5 to 10 mph. Chance of precipitation 4 percent.
Friday Night: Clear, with a low around 67. Northeast wind around 5 mph. Chance of precipitation 1 percent.
Active Alerts
There are no active National Weather Service alerts for Harris, Montgomery or Liberty counties. Seven alerts were active across Texas at the time of this reading, and none of them covers the three counties that make up the Lake Houston area. The nearest is a rip current statement and a coastal flood advisory from the Houston/Galveston office covering Brazoria, Galveston and Matagorda counties on the coast.
Hurricane Isaias is a separate matter and is covered in tonight’s advisory report. Nothing in its warning area touches Texas. The Wednesday evening levels report is available for comparison.
Sources
Lake Houston elevation and the 48 hour range come from the U.S. Geological Survey gauge at site 08072000. Percent full for both lakes and the Lake Conroe elevation come from the Texas Water Development Board reservoir data service. The forecast and alerts come from the National Weather Service Houston/Galveston office. Gauge readings are provisional and subject to revision by the U.S. Geological Survey.
