Houston Faces Catastrophic Flooding And Rain As Tropical Storm Harvey Lingers

Harveys center is expected to move off the coast Monday, but rains likely will continue pummeling the region through Friday, the National Hurricane Center said Sunday evening.
The storm has devastated Texas, destroying buildings and causing widespread power outages and massive flooding.
Houston is under a flood warning after a deluge of intense rain hit the city overnight Saturday. The citys emergency services are at capacity, and the William P. Hobby Airport has canceled all inbound and outbound flights.
Parts of the Houston area may see as much as 50 inches of rainfall, according to the National Weather Service.
The exact death toll is unclear, but the National Weather Service reports five people have died in the Houston area.
Authorities urge citizens to stay off the streets and to climb to rooftops if they are trapped.

HOUSTON Two days after Hurricane Harvey made landfall in southern Texas, the city of Houston is facing life-threatening, catastrophic flooding that authorities warn could be historic.

Authorities in Houston, the countrys fourth-largest city, have issued a flash flood warning for the entire metropolitan region , where more than 6 million people live.

The National Hurricane Center said Sunday evening that the storms center was moving southeast and would continue to do so for the next two days. Harvey is expected to move off the middle Texas coast on Monday and meander just offshore through Monday night, the center forecasted.

But catastrophic rains are expected to continue plaguing the Texas coast through Friday, and those in Houston and other affected areas should not attempt to travel if theyre in a safe place, the NHC warned.

Earlier on Sunday, the National Weather Service reported that while winds were decreasing and Harvey has been downgraded to a tropical storm, heavy rainfall is creating life-threatening hazards across much of Texas southeast. The service is predicting as much as 50 inches of rain could fall in some parts of the region as the slow-moving storm hangs over the state.

This event is unprecedented & all impacts are unknown & beyond anything experienced, the NWS tweeted Sunday .

President Donald Trump is expected to travel to Texas on Tuesday, according to White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders . The White House is still finalizing the exact details of the trip.

This event is unprecedented & all impacts are unknown & beyond anything experienced. Follow orders from officials to ensure safety. #Harvey pic.twitter.com/IjpWLey1h8

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This event is unprecedented & all impacts are unknown & beyond anything experienced. Follow orders from officials to ensure safety. #Harvey pic.twitter.com/IjpWLey1h8
NWS (@NWS) August 27, 2017

NWS meteorologist Patrick Burke told HuffPost that the tropical storm is now stationary, and close enough to the water that it has an unlimited source of fuel. He warned that the weather event will affect the area for days, if not weeks.

There was also some concern that Harvey could make a potential second landfall, as some models predict the storm moving back over the Gulf of Mexico and gaining strength before striking land again.

If youre sitting in the Houston area and you see a break and the rain lets up, dont let your guard down. Its gonna come right back in, Burke said. Rainfall predictions are as high as weve ever made for a storm.

Authorities also issued a tornado watch for southern Houston on Sunday, with emergency services telling those in the affected area to hunker down in place and keep away from windows. The NHC additionally put parts of the Texas coastline under Tropical Storm Watch as of early Sunday evening, and declared several more tornado warnings for towns near the area.