Why Houston Is So Prone To Devastating Floods | HuffPost Impact

The storm unfolding in Houston is beyond anything experienced , the National Weather Service said Sunday afternoon. While the rainfall and floods soaking the region are poised to shatter records, the Houston area has become well-acquainted with this type of weather in recent years.

Hurricane Harvey , which has been downgraded to a tropical storm since making landfall in Texas on Friday, is the latest in a series of wet weather events to devastate the Houston region, though past rainfall and flooding will assuredly pale in comparison to that brought on by Harvey.

The National Weather Service expects catastrophic and life-threatening rainfall in some areas to total 50 inches , the highest ever recorded in Texas. While rain is expected to continue for several days, flooding records have already been shattered throughout Harris County, in at least one spot by more than five feet. As of Sunday, this August is the wettest month ever recorded in Houston.

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

The Houston metro area has seen a major rise in rainfall in recent decades, more so than most places in the U.S. Since the 1950s, the region has seen a 167 percent increase in heavy downpours, Climate Central found in 2015. And some of the worst events have occurred in recent memory. In April 2016, the area was soaked by abnormally intense rainfall as 15 inches fell in some areas in just 24 hours. The local flood control district declared it a one-in-10,000 year rainfall event.

In May 2015, at least six people died and more than a thousand vehicles were submerged when 12 inches of rain fell in the area in just 10 hours. Similar rainfall totals were documented in July 2012 .

Harvey has prompted many comparisons to Tropical Storm Allison, which in 2001 claimed 23 lives in the Houston metro area. But it was a measly little storm compared to this weeks event, CNN meteorologist Jennifer Varian said Sunday.

Several factors both natural and manmade have made Houston, the fourth-largest city in the U.S., a hotbed for severe rain and floods.

Houston is just 40 miles from the Gulf Coast, making it especially susceptible to storms that tend to linger in the area from late spring through early fall, The Weather Channel explained. Additionally, the city is exceptionally flat and sits about 50 feet above sea level, making it prone to flooding when heavy rainfall is coupled with already-rising sea levels.

The Houston metro area sits beside multiple waterways and sprawls out in every direction. This has long put the city at risk of a natural disaster.