Watch Live: Tropical Depression Imelda moving farther inland; flash flood risk continues

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HOUSTON — Imelda weakened to a tropical depression shortly after making landfall in the Houston area on Tuesday, but some of the heaviest rainfall is still sitting over the coastline and in the Gulf of Mexico.

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Be prepared for a nasty, wet commute on Wednesday morning. At this time there are no widespread reports of high water on freeways or in structures.

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The tropical depression is expected to hover over the Houston Area for a couple of days  and is expected to produce total rainfall accumulations of 6 to 12 inches. Isolated areas could see more.

As of the 4 a.m. Wednesday update from the National Hurricane Center, Imelda was located about 25 miles north-northwest of Houston. It had max sustained winds of 30 mph and was moving north at 5 mph.

Flash flood watches are in effect for southeast Texas and extreme southwest Louisiana.

Here’s the latest timeline from the KHOU 11 Weather Team:

Wednesday Morning:

Computers suggest we may see some of the heaviest rain of this event beginning before sunrise and lasting through the morning on Wednesday. Flood threat is high, but even without the flooding the morning commute will have extensive delays.

Wednesday Night:

Heavy rain threat will continue with the flash flood threat staying high.

Thursday Morning:

The circulation should be well of the Houston area by this time. However it will still drag rain showers, some heavy, in behind the storm. Flood threat moderate.

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Thursday night & Friday:

Rain chances are expected to diminish. However, the ground will be saturated and any rain that falls could cause some problems. Flood threat low to moderate.

Galveston ISD and High Island ISD have canceled classes for Wednesday. Some school districts are cancelling after-school activities for Tuesday. Follow this link for additional closures.

Computer models continue to increase the amount of rain we could see over the next 72 hours and it’s concerning for sure for a couple of reasons.

HOUSTON RADAR: Imelda weakens to a depression 

While the ground is dry, it’s also like concrete. If we experience rain rates as high as 2 to 3 inches per hour, we’ll see much of that turn into run-off that could quickly flood some areas. 

Second, a lot of runoff will likely cause bayous, streams and rivers to rise. If and only if the blockbuster amounts shown in the models come to fruition, we could see swelling of the bayous.

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Five ways to prepare for flooding

There are five things you can do right now to make sure you’re ready.

1. Register for AlertHouston

Alert Houston is how the City of Houston sends out critical emergency information. It will alert you via email, text, phone call, or push alert. You can get geo-targeted warnings at your location. You can also register up to five addresses.

2. Register for Harris County’s Flood Warning System

FWS monitors rainfall at more than 250 locations along bayous, creeks, and rivers. It will alert users in real time as water levels rise through email and/or text message.

3. Look at Houston’s Flood Prone Map

The City of Houston Office of Emergency Management partnered with Houston Public Works and TxDOT to identify over 100 flood prone roadways. Drivers should check the map before rain events.

4. Download the Transtar App

The Transtar app allows you to monitor road conditions in real time. It also shows regional alerts and active incidents on an interactive map.  (Android users, tap here.)

5. Pay attention to meteorologists

Visit our KHOU Weather page.