Flash Flood Warning for parts of Fort Bend, other counties

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Parts of Fort Bend County are under a Flash Flood Warning as storms pummel the Houston area Wednesday.

The warning lasts until 9:45 a.m., according to the National Weather Service, and includes portions of Wharton, Austin, Fort Bend, Jackson, Matagorda and Brazoria counties. This comes as areas southwest of Houston have received the brunt of the rainfall so far, with portions of the Brazos River receiving upwards of 5 inches between 3 and 9 a.m., according to the Harris County Flood Control District.

Because of the weather, Wharton ISD has cancelled all summer school classes Wednesday.

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Several high water spots have been reported so far across Houston, including one on the northbound Interstate 45 exit ramp to Interstate 10, according to Houston TranStar. Another was reported in the right lane of northbound Highway 59 to West Loop 610, which was still causing major delays as of 8 a.m.

The area is currently under a flash flood watch until 7 a.m. Thursday.

Heavy showers and thunderstorms are expected in that time frame. Rain could also move repeatedly across the same area, causing the creeks and bayous to rise, according to the National Weather Service.

Upwards of 2.5 inches of rainfall was reported near Humble over between 3 and 9 a.m. Other areas northeast of Houston have experienced between 1 and 2 inches, mainly from Channelview to Sheldon, according to the Harris County Flood Warning System map.  Most of the Houston area saw between 0.5 to 1 inch of rainfall over the last 24 hours, the map shows.

National Weather Service forecasters say areas southeast of Highway 69/59 corridor could get four to eight inches of rain. Areas north of the 69/59 corridor could get up to three inches of rain.

In preparation for possible floods, the Houston Fire Department said Tuesday that it would deploy its new water strike team for rescues.

The department also said it would staff nine high-water rescue vehicles across the region, with four of the tall trucks in each quadrant of the city, and the five remaining vehicles to be deployed as needed, according to earlier reports in the Houston Chronicle.

Julian Gill is a digital reporter in Houston. Read him on our breaking news site, Chron.com, and on our subscriber site, houstonchronicle.com. | julian.gill@chron.com | NEWS WHEN YOU NEED IT: Text CHRON to 77453 to receive breaking news alerts by text message | Sign up for breaking news alerts delivered to your email here.