Hurricane Ike is set to make landfall within this hour near Galveston, Texas with at least 100 MPH winds.
Just as was the case in the surrounding region of New Orleans good number of reporting sites in southeastern Texas (including Ellington Field in Houston) are not providing their latest conditions.
Heavy rain and storms will dominate the weather picture around Houston for the next 24 hours. Much of the time it will be at tropical storm or hurricane force wind speed. See the National Weather Service statements for more details.
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENTS by the National Weather Service in League City, Texas on September 13, 2008A HURRICANE WARNING is in effect.Areas affected... this statement recommends actions to be taken by persons in the following counties or marine areas:
Brazoria County
Chambers County
Galveston County
Harris County
Liberty County
Please listen to NOAA Weather Radio or go to weather.gov on the internet for more information about these additional hazards.A FLASH FLOOD WATCH is in effect through Sunday morning.The Flood Watch continues for a portion of southeast Texas including the following counties:
Austin County
Brazoria County
Brazos County
Burleson County
Chambers County
Colorado County
Fort Bend County
Galveston County
Grimes County
Harris County
Jackson County
Liberty County
Madison County
Matagorda County
Montgomery County
Polk County
San Jacinto County
Trinity County
Walker County
Waller County
Washington County
Wharton County
Hurricane Ike will make landfall along the Upper Texas coast late tonight through early Saturday morning. Rain bands containing very heavy rain will continue affecting the coastal areas and will increase in coverage and intensity as they spread inland overnight.
Widespread rainfall amounts of 5 to 7 inches with isolated totals of 10 to 12 inches will be possible through Sunday. Significant flooding will be possible in areas of heaviest rainfall. The heaviest rain is expected to fall east of a line from Rosenberg to Sargent.
Flooding will be exacerbated in portions of Harris and Galveston counties due to unusually high tide levels.
High tide levels will block area bayous from draining efficiently.
After winds subside tomorrow as Ike moves further inland and weakens, remember to not drive your vehicle into areas where the water covers the roadway. The water depth may be too great to allow your car to cross safely. Vehicles caught in rising water should be abandoned quickly. If your vehicle stalls, abandon it and seek higher ground immediately. Rapidly rising water may engulf your vehicle and its occupants and sweep them away. Move to higher ground.
Monitor NOAA Weather Radio for the latest information, forecasts and warnings.PLEASE NOTE:
There was no updated weather data from the following reporting sites due to the storm knocking out the weather station measurement equipment...
downtown Houston
Ellington Field (Houston)
Galveston, Texas
Baytown, Texas
Pearland, Texas
Sugar Land, Texas
Angleton, Texas
Crockett, Texas
Port Arthur, Texas
HOUSTONWeather conditions from William P. Hobby Airport as of 1:00 AM Central Time
76°
light rain and windy
Visibility: 1 mile
Humidity: 93%
Dew Point: 74°
Wind: N at 48 MPH, gusting to 61 MPHBarometric Pressure: 28.92 inches (falling)Ceiling: 1300 feet
Saturday's air quality forecast: Good
METROPOLITAN AREA OBSERVATIONS...George Bush Intercontinental Airport77°
overcast and windy
Wind: N at 43 MPH, gusting to 58 MPH
Visibility: 3 miles
Humidity: 87%
Spring, TX77°
light rain and windy
Wind: N at 22 MPH, gusting to 40 MPH
Visibility: 8 miles
Humidity: 83%
OTHER SOUTHEASTERN TEXAS REGIONAL OBSERVATIONS...Bay City, TX75°
heavy rain and windy
Wind: NW at 26 MPH, gusting to 40 MPH
Visibility: 3 miles
Humidity: 94%
Victoria, TX84°
fair and windy
Wind: NW at 21 MPH, gusting to 37 MPH
Heat Index: 89°
Visibility: 10 miles
Humidity: 65%
Conroe, TX80°
light rain
Wind: N at 15 MPH, gusting to 32 MPH
Heat Index: 83°
Visibility: 9 miles
Humidity: 76%
Wharton, TX80°
drizzle and windy
Wind: NNW at 30 MPH, gusting to 43 MPH
Heat Index: 84°
Visibility: 10 miles
Humidity: 78%
Caldwell, TX80°
overcast
Wind: N at 16 MPH
Heat Index: 83°
Visibility: 10 miles
Humidity: 74%
Huntsville, TX81°
fair
Wind: NE at 9 MPH, gusting to 21 MPH
Heat Index: 85°
Visibility: 10 miles
Humidity: 71%
Palacios, TX84°
fair
Wind: NW at 30 MPH, gusting to 44 MPH
Heat Index: 90°
Humidity: 67%
Beaumont, TX75°
light rain and windy
Wind: ESE at 60 MPH, gusting to 84 MPHVisibility: 2 miles
Humidity: 100%36-HOUR FORECAST FOR HOUSTON (through Sunday)...(courtesy of the National Weather Service)
OVERNIGHTOvercast with showers and thunderstorms under hurricane conditions. Some of the storms could produce heavy rain.
Low around 78°. North wind 60 to 80 MPH decreasing to between 55 to 75 MPH. Winds could gust as high as 90 MPH.
LATER TODAYOvercast with showers and thunderstorms under hurricane conditions. Some of the storms could produce heavy rain.
High near 85°. Southwest wind 40 to 60 MPH decreasing to between 30 to 35 MPH. Winds could gust as high as 75 MPH.
TONIGHTOvercast with a 60% chance of showers and thunderstorms under possible tropical storm or hurricane conditions.
Some of the storms could produce heavy rain. Low around 77°. Southwest wind 15 to 20 MPH with gusts as high as 25 MPH.
SUNDAYMostly cloudy with a 60% chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly before 1:00 PM.
Some of the storms could produce heavy rain. High near 86°. West wind around 5 MPH with gusts as high as 20 MPH.
Southeastern Texas regional satellite view as of 11:30 PM Central Daylight Time (courtesy of NASA and Google Earth)...
Houston metropolitan area radar as of 1:12 AM Central Daylight Time (courtesy of KTRK-TV)...
