Sunday morning on the Lake Houston area. There are no flood alerts, and no weather alerts of any kind, active for Harris, Montgomery or Liberty counties. Both lakes are sitting inside their normal range, and the story in the forecast is heat rather than water, with a heat index as high as 104 expected this afternoon.
| Lake | Level | Percent full | Reading time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lake Houston | 42.38 feet | 99.9 percent | 5:30 a.m. Central, Sunday, September 20 |
| Lake Conroe | 199.76 feet | 94.2 percent | Daily value for Sunday, September 20 |
Lake Houston
The U.S. Geological Survey gauge at Lk Houston nr Sheldon, TX, site 08072000, read 42.38 feet at 5:30 a.m. Central on Sunday, September 20.
Over the past 48 hours the gauge has moved between 42.31 feet, recorded at 4:30 p.m. Saturday, and 42.43 feet, recorded at 6:30 a.m. Friday. That is a swing of about an inch and a half across two days, and it follows the ordinary daily pattern on this lake, easing off through the afternoon and recovering overnight. The lake is flat. Nothing in the record suggests a rise.
The Texas Water Development Board lists Lake Houston at 99.9 percent of conservation capacity, with its own daily value of 42.37 feet against the USGS reading of 42.38. That level of agreement between the two is normal and reflects different reading times.
Lake Conroe
The Texas Water Development Board daily value for Lake Conroe is 199.76 feet and 94.2 percent full for Sunday, September 20, down 0.02 feet from 199.78 feet on Saturday. The lake has declined a little every day since September 7, when it read 200.00 feet, a total of 0.24 feet over thirteen days. This is a slow seasonal drawdown in dry weather, not a release event.
Lake Conroe belongs in a Lake Houston paper because the two are connected. San Jacinto River Authority releases from Lake Conroe flow down the West Fork of the San Jacinto River into Lake Houston, so the upstream level is part of the local flooding picture in Kingwood, Humble and Atascocita.
The forecast
Today. Mostly sunny, with a high near 96 falling to around 93 in the afternoon. Heat index values as high as 104. East wind 0 to 5 mph. Chance of precipitation 13 percent.
Tonight. Partly cloudy, with a low around 75. South wind 0 to 5 mph. Chance of precipitation 3 percent.
Monday. Mostly sunny, with a high near 96 falling to around 93 in the afternoon. Heat index values as high as 103. East wind 0 to 5 mph. Chance of precipitation 12 percent.
The forecast was issued by the National Weather Service office in Houston/Galveston and last updated at 1:21 a.m. Central on Sunday.
Alerts
There are no active National Weather Service alerts for Harris County, Montgomery County or Liberty County this morning. At read time there were no active watches, warnings or advisories anywhere in Texas.
Separately, the 90-day burn ban for unincorporated Harris County remains in effect. That is a fire risk measure tied to dry conditions, not a water measure, and it is unrelated to lake levels.
Sources
Lake elevation from the U.S. Geological Survey. Reservoir storage and percent full from the Texas Water Development Board. Forecast and alerts from the National Weather Service Houston/Galveston. Gauge readings are provisional and subject to revision by the USGS.
