Floodwaters recede after storms dump inches of rain in Texas

National Weather Service meteorologist Scott Overpeck said Sunday that soaking showers around Houston should begin clearing this afternoon.

Weather forecasters said three to eight inches of rain were possible in areas around New Orleans and Baton Rouge over Sunday night, Reuters reported.

On the heels of the earlier storm system, southeastern Texas was bracing for 8 to 12 more inches of rain and tides 4 to 5 feet high late Saturday and into today.

The focus of the heaviest rain will shift east of Houston later Sunday and over Louisiana and the central Gulf Coast in the evening and into Monday morning.

Houston leaders warned that the area’s bayous can only accommodate about five additional inches and acknowledged the math wasn’t favorable. Most of the rescues involved stranded motorists and more than 30 vehicles were towed due to high water, he said.

“We’re hoping the heaviest of it has come through, but we’ve been having regular conference calls with the National Weather Service and we plan to keep our emergency operations center staffed overnight”, Bove said.

Funnel clouds have already been reported in both Louisiana and Texas.

Weekend rain caused a few street flooding around Houston, but by Sunday afternoon, Houston Mayor Annise Parker said in a tweet that “the storm has largely passed w/ minor problems”.

Officials also say the state’s parched ground was able to soak up a lot of water. Heavy rains have forced parts of the Brazos River out of its banks and endangering homes located in the small community just outside of Waco, Texas, according to the Waco Tribune Herald.

The rain systems were intensified by the remnants of Patricia, which was downgraded to a tropical depression after crashing into Mexico’s west coast on Friday as a powerful hurricane.

Authorities are crediting lessons learned from deadly spring flooding for the low number of stranded drivers and high-water rescues.

Another man was swept into a drainage ditch by floodwaters in San Antonio Friday, NBC affiliate WOAI reported.

Flight tracker flightaware.com reported that about 100 Saturday flights had been canceled at Dallas-Fort Worth worldwide Airport.

In Galveston, authorities urged voluntary evacuation of the elderly and residents with medical issues on the Bolivar Peninsula near Galveston Bay.