'GET OUT NOW': Levee breached near Houston in Hurricane Harvey aftermath
Quote:
Search-and-rescue boats, high-water vehicles and even jet skis patrolled flood-swollen streets and a levee south of Houston breached Tuesday as Tropical Storm Harvey continued pounding the region with record-setting rain on its easterly trudge toward Louisiana.
Officials anxiously monitored rising river levels swelled days of relentless rain. Authorities in Brazoria County announced a levee breach at Columbia Lakes.
"GET OUT NOW!!" the county tweeted.
The Brazos River at Richmond, about 30 miles south of Houston, measured nearly 52 feet Tuesday morning and was expected to crest at 59 feet by Thursday — four feet greater than the record high set last year.
“The threat is now moving from rain to river,” KPRC-TV meteorologist Britta Merwin said.
Emergency responders have conducted more than 3,500 boat and air rescues, and the number continued to climb, Police Chief Art Acevedo said. The shelter set up at the George R. Brown Convention Center in downtown Houston swelled with more than 9,000 evacuees — nearly double its planned capacity.
Still, no one was being turned away from shelters in the region.
"Last night in Texas, 17,000+ people sought refuge in shelters," the American Red Cross tweeted Tuesday. "We're providing safety & comfort to rescued families."
Tropical Storm Harvey Discussion Number 37
NWS National Hurricane Center Miami FL AL092017
1000 AM CDT Tue Aug 29 2017
Heavy rains continue to spread over the Houston area and other
locations in southeastern Texas and southern Louisiana, exacerbating
what is already a catastrophic flood event.
Rainfall totals of
nearly 50 inches have been observed at several locations in the
Greater Houston area and southeastern Texas. Storm totals
could reach higher amounts in some locations, which would be
historic for the area.
Harvey consists of a vigorous circulation of low clouds with some
patches of deep convection well to the north of the center and a
cyclonically curved convective band in the eastern semicircle. The
initial intensity is kept at 40 kt until we have a more recent
estimate when the reconnaissance plane checks the area this
afternoon. Strong shear prevails over the cyclone, so no
significant change in intensity is anticipated before landfall. A
gradual weakening is forecast once the circulation moves inland.
The circulation is moving toward the north-northeast or 025 degrees
at 4 kt. Harvey is expected to be steered to the northeast with an
increase in forward speed by the mid-latitude southwesterly
flow ahead of a trough. Most of the guidance is consistent with this
solution, and the NHC forecast is in the middle of the guidance
envelope. Given that the guidance is tightly clustered the
confidence in the track forecast is high.
Key Messages:
1. Ongoing catastrophic and life-threatening flooding will continue
across southeastern Texas. Additional rainfall accumulations of 6
to 12 inches are expected across the upper Texas coast into
southwestern Louisiana, with isolated storm totals as high as 50
inches. Please heed the advice of local officials. Do not attempt
to travel if you are in a safe place, and do not drive into flooded
roadways. Refer to products from your local National Weather
Service office and the NOAA Weather Prediction Center for more
information on the flooding hazard. A summary of rainfall totals
compiled by the Weather Prediction Center can be found at:
http://www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/discussions/nfdscc1.html2. The flood threat has spread farther east into Louisiana.
Additional rainfall amounts of 5 to 10 inches are expected in
southern Louisiana into coastal Mississippi and Alabama. Please
heed the advice of local officials and refer to products from your
local National Weather Service office and the NOAA Weather
Prediction Center for more information on the flooding hazard in
these areas.
FORECAST POSITIONS AND MAX WINDS
INIT 29/1500Z 28.4N 94.3W 40 KT 45 MPH
12H 30/0000Z 28.8N 94.0W 40 KT 45 MPH
24H 30/1200Z 29.8N 93.4W 40 KT 45 MPH...INLAND
36H 31/0000Z 30.8N 92.8W 30 KT 35 MPH...INLAND
48H 31/1200Z 32.0N 92.0W 30 KT 35 MPH...INLAND
72H 01/1200Z 34.5N 89.5W 25 KT 30 MPH...POST-TROP/INLAND
96H 02/1200Z 36.5N 86.0W 25 KT 30 MPH...POST-TROP/INLAND
120H 03/1200Z 38.5N 81.0W 20 KT 25 MPH...POST-TROP/INLAND
$$
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29 Aug 2017, 1:20 am
