The Woodlands is under a Flood Watch through Friday evening, Oct. 2, after storms dumped 3 to 6 inches of rain across southwestern Montgomery County on Thursday night, Oct. 1.
The National Weather Service Houston/Galveston issued the watch after expanding it to include Montgomery County. The agency warned that rain rates of 2 to 4 inches per hour remain possible as deep tropical moisture from Hurricane Polo lingers overhead. The NWS also issued a Flood Advisory for southwestern Montgomery County on Thursday, Oct. 1, that ran through 11:30 p.m.
NWS Houston posted on X Thursday, Oct. 1, that the Flood Watch had been expanded to cover 13 counties including Montgomery, Harris, Fort Bend and Walker.
What residents should know
Doppler radar and automated rain gauges showed 3 to 6 inches had already fallen in the advisory area by 9:18 p.m. Thursday, according to the NWS advisory. An additional 1 to 2 inches was expected Thursday night, enough to cause minor flooding in low-lying and poor-drainage areas.
The greater concern is the Flood Watch, which runs through Friday evening. The NWS warned that storms training over the same areas could produce rapid runoff and flash flooding. The agency urged residents to monitor wireless emergency alerts for Flash Flood Warnings, particularly those flagged as "considerable" or "catastrophic."
The NWS cautioned that most flood deaths occur in vehicles and urged drivers to avoid flooded roads.
How the storm got here
The heavy rain traces back to moisture pulled northward from Pacific Hurricane Polo. That moisture combined with a front moving in from the west, according to an earlier KPRC 2 forecast published Sept. 29.
KPRC 2 reported that the storms formed quickly Thursday and brought heavy rain in a short window, prompting the NWS to expand the watch to include The Woodlands, Houston and Sugar Land. The heaviest rain was expected Thursday night and Friday afternoon and evening. The watch area could receive an additional 2 to 3 inches, with 4 to 6 inches possible.
Weekend outlook
Rain is not done after the watch expires. The NWS Houston/Galveston forecast office noted that additional rounds of showers and thunderstorms will continue through the weekend. The main window of concern for moderate to heavy rainfall shifts to late Saturday into Sunday, with the best chances along and south of the I-10 corridor.
No specific road closures or flooded roadways in The Woodlands had been confirmed in public reports as of Friday morning. The Woodlands Township had not issued a public statement on the flooding threat as of the same time.
Residents can find flood safety information at weather.gov/safety/flood.
