I am waiting for Texas Governor Abbot to talk about Climate Change.

[DesMoinesDem]

61. Houston Flooding More Typical Than You Think

Such was the case with Tropical Storm Allison in 2001.

An initial soaking as Allison moved ashore on June 5-6 was followed by a second epic deluge after Allison's remnant moved off the Texas coast on June 8-9.

By the time the rains ended, parts of the Houston metro area had picked up more than 35 inches of rainfall over the five-day period, much of which fell during that second round. This is roughly three-quarters of the average annual rainfall in just five days.

Furthermore, Allison's torrential rain – 10 inches or more – was much more widespread over the Houston metro, not to mention east Texas and the northern Gulf Coast (map), than this Memorial Day event.

More than 14,000 homes were destroyed or heavily damaged, with an additional 34,000 homes suffering at least minor damage, according to the National Hurricane Center's recap.



Houston Flooding More Typical Than You Think

According to NOAA's National Climatic Data Center, there were 86 days with reports of flooding or flash flooding in Harris County from 1996 through 2014. This equates to an average of 4-5 days of flooding each year over that time period.

Including this Memorial Day flood, there have been at least 25 events that flooded homes in the Houston metro area since the mid 1970s, according to Houston-based Weather Research Center (WRC) and National Weather Service records.

These events have happened every time of the year, even in late fall and winter.

Apart from the prodigious rainfall from tropical cyclones and their remnants, thunderstorms and thunderstorm clusters tend to slow and stall near the Gulf Coast, especially from late spring through early fall.

Here are a just a few notable Houston metro floods of the past, not including Allison (2001) mentioned above:

- April 28, 2009: Over 2100 homes flooded, freeways impassable.

- June 19, 2006: Up to 11 inches of rain in southern and eastern Harris County flooded 3000 homes.

- Late Summer/Fall 1998: Three separate flood events flooded at least 2,700 homes. First event on Sep. 11 was from Tropical Storm Frances.

- October 17-21, 1994: Over 22,000 homes flooded; Record lake levels at Lakes Conroe, Livingston, and Houston; At least $900 million damage (1994 dollars) and 17 killed.

- Late June/Early July 1989: Just over a month after a separate flood event swamped 1,400 homes, Tropical Storm Allison - the 1989 version - flooded another 1,100 homes. This was the second highest crest at Greens Bayou in northeast Houston other than 2001's Allison.

- Sept. 19-20, 1983: Just one month after Hurricane Alicia, 1,000 homes along Brays Bayou flooded from a 9-inch deluge south of downtown Houston.

- July 24-26, 1979: Tropical Storm Claudette wrings out U.S. record 24-hour rainfall of 43 inches near Alvin. 15,000 homes and 17,000 vehicles damaged.

- Dec. 8, 1935: Flooding to second and third floors of downtown buildings; Houston central water plant inoperable for weeks; prompted creation of Harris County Flood Control District.

http://www.weather.com/storms/severe/news/houston-flood-history-may2015-allison