Kingwood: Flooding causes sinkhole; school closures in New Caney, Cleveland

The Kingwood area was hit by some of the region’s worst weather Tuesday.

The area was soaked with about 6 1/4 inches of rain between 9 a.m. and 9 p.m. Tuesday.

A flash flood watch was issued for Harris County until 2 a.m. Wednesday.

New Caney Independent School District said its campuses will be closed Wednesday as a result of Tuesday’s weather. Accommodations were made for students who needed to stay at campus overnight.

Cleveland ISD said all of its campuses would be closed Wednesday.

Houston Search and Rescue teams were taking people who were in need of shelter to First Baptist Church at 3500 Woodland Hills Drive.

Multiple roads were flooded and severe thunderstorm warnings were issued as the storms moved through.

Kingwood parents had to walk through high water to get their children out of Kids in Action day care, located off Woodland Hills. The day care told KPRC2 that about 40 children were on the second floor until their parents were able to get to them.

Here’s how to check bayou levels, rainfall totals

Residents in a Kingwood neighborhood were trapped due to a sinkhole on Hamblem Road at Northshore.

Click here to check rainfall totals in your area.

Around 2:30 p.m., a severe thunderstorm moved through the area going northeast at about 25 mph. Weather officials said wind gusts of up to 60 mph and quarter-sized hail were possible with the storm.

PHOTOS: High water, flooding across Houston area

A flood warning was issued for the West Fork of the San Jacinto River until Wednesday afternoon. The river was forecasted to rise above flood stage by Tuesday night. Alert Houston told people in the area to avoid the river.

Authorities encouraged drivers to turn around if they encounter flooded roads and to report flooded areas to local law enforcement agencies.

Showers and thunderstorms are expected to continue through the night and into Wednesday. An approaching cold front will set the stage for additional strong thunderstorms on Friday and Saturday.

Humble Independent School District officials said that Kingwood High School students who are usually released early were kept at the school until the roads were deemed safe. Officials said the intersection of West Lake Houston Parkway and Kingwood Drive was not passable as of 1:15 p.m., but the building was secure.

Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner said during a City Council meeting Tuesday afternoon that high-water rescue vehicles were being dispatched to the Kingwood area.

Humble ISD officials said no water made it inside Kingwood High School on Tuesday. On Friday, water made it inside the school, but school officials said the storm drains were cleaned over the weekend.

Some video showed flooding outside Kingwood Park High School.

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