Galveston County on alert for potential heavy rains

GALVESTON, Texas (FOX 26) - As heavy rains pour down in the east and down the Gulf Coast, bursts of scattered showers have been hitting areas across Houston and Galveston.

Dan Reilly is a Warning Coordination Meteorologist with the National Weather Service. Reilly says that although the rains may have spared most of the Galveston area Monday, everyone should still be on alert and prepared for this multi-day rain event. It's estimated the storm could leave us with up to eight inches of rain in some areas and possibly, flash flooding in low-lying areas.

"By the end of the day Wednesday, we'll probably see 6-8 inches of rain on average. If it falls an inch or two a day, that's no problem, we probably won't have any flooding in that case. But if we get more intense bands of rain, that's where we can see some minor flooding," Reilly said.

In addition to rainfall numbers, NWS hydrologist, Katie Landry-Guyton, is also tracking rainfall intensity, as well as monitoring any rises in the rivers and bayous.

"Some of our smaller water sheds such as White Oak Bayou, Braes and some of the tributaries-- those are some of the ones that are going to be more susceptible to the higher intensities. Some of the bigger water sheds such as Cypress and Spring-- we're going to need a little more rainfall to get those to go into flood stage," Landry-Guyton said.

The dry weather conditions in recent weeks could also help minimize flood concerns, and the sporadic rainfall on Monday, only means good news for conditions later this week. 

"We're anticipating a lot of our rivers and bayous to be able to hold the total rainfall amounts, but what we need to watch is for those higher rainfall intensities that could cause us to have out of bank flooding conditions," Landry-Guyton said.

Authorities urge everyone to continue monitoring conditions over the next few days. Residents who live in low-lying areas should consider moving their vehicles to higher ground in preparation.

Drivers should also be careful on the roadways as roads may be slippery.