Flood Risk on the Bend

The Brazos River in Richmond is currently at Gage Elevation 16.66 and rising from the rainfall the watershed received over the past 48 to 72 hours. The WGRFC predicts that the Brazos River through Richmond will peak below Action Stage over the next week. Based on the 7-day extended forecast, no flooding along the Brazos River through Fort Bend County is anticipated.

Memorial Weekend Recap

Memorial Day will always be a time that we honor those who paid the ultimate sacrifice for our freedoms, but since 2015, it has also brought some fairly significant weather across the State and the past 72 hours continued the pattern. Good news was that the storms did not bring as much rainfall as we have seen in the past. The most significant rainfall and impacts remains to our north, closer to the Texas/Oklahoma border.

The majority of the Brazos River Watershed received between 0.5 to 1.5 inches of rain with peak amounts closer to 3 to 4 inches over the past 72 hours. The peak rainfall amounts occurred in a portion of Austin County near Bellville and a portion of the upper Navasota River watershed. This system has caused rises on the Brazos River to occur from Waco to Freeport, but all gages have peaked or are currently predicted to peak in or below Action Stage.

This week

This week should consist of sunny to partly cloudy skies with highs in the upper 80s and lows in upper 60s. Our rain chances remain low over the next 7 days except for Thursday when a round of scattered showers and thunderstorms could work their way through the Region. The NWS 7-Day Quantitative Precipitation Forecast (QPF) shows the majority of the Brazos River Watershed receiving less than ½ inch over the next 7 days with a potential peak of 1 to 1.5 inches upstream of Bryan/College Station.

2020 Hurricane Season Outlook

NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center has released their 2020 Hurricane Season Outlook. According the NOAA, “The outlook predicts a 60% chance of an above-normal season, a 30% chance of a near-normal season and only a 10% chance of a below-normal season.”

No matter how accurate the prediction turns out to be, it only takes 1 storm to hit our region to make it an “Active” hurricane season.

The NWS Houston/Galveston Office has developed a video on the 2020 Hurricane Season Forecast.

We are only days away from the beginning of Hurricane Season. Do not wait into there is a active storm in the Gulf to start your preparations. For more information, please visit NWS Flood Safety,  Ready.gov, and FloodSmart.gov.