Officials urging Houstonians to stay weather aware this week

Jeff Lindner, a meteorologist with the Harris County Flood Control District, is urging Houstonians to pay close attention to the radars and forecasts starting Sunday night into Wednesday morning, as Tropical Storm Beta continues to move inland towards the Texas coast. 

Coastal flooding is expected. Lindner says the biggest threat for the Houston area will likely be heavy rain, street flooding, and winds up to 40 miles per hour. 

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"I think right now we're looking at five to seven inches across much of Harris County and maybe a little bit more down toward the south. The southern part of the county and of course, down towards the coast and most of our creeks right now can handle about six to eight inches of rain," Lindner said. 

Lindner said Beta could bring two to three inches of rain potential an hour, causing the creeks and bayou levels to rise. However, he feels confident the flooding threat won’t be as severe as what Houstonians experienced during Harvey and Imelda in years past. 

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"Certainly some street flooding will be possible, and even some rises on the creeks and the bayous. We will just have to watch it. The biggest one I'm concerned about right now is going to be Clear Creek, that's down on the southern part of the county. Because the tides are high in Clear Lake. I can say with a good deal of confidence, this is not going to be a Harvey type flood situation here for Harris County or Southeast Texas," Lindner said. 

Mayor Sylvester Turner says the city’s emergency centers will be activated starting Monday morning at 7 a.m.

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Drivers can also expect to see barricades set up in high-water areas. 

"The city’s much better prepared in terms of staging high-water equipment, personnel, even more detention. We are in much better shape than then," Turner said.   

City and county leaders also reemphasizing that folks should call 311 for help with non-emergency situations and to reserve 911 calls for life-threatening situations.