Tropical Storm Harvey, whose torrential downpours have already wreaked havoc on southeast Texas since making landfall late Friday, could dump up to 50 inches of rain in some parts of the Lone Star State by the end of this week.
The precipitation levels could shatter all records, leaving authorities to grapple with some of the most catastrophic flooding ever witnessed in the United States.
As of 4pm local time Sunday in Houston, parts of the city’s metropolitan area had received over 25 inches of rain, according to The Weather Channel.
Dayton, a town just northeast of Houston, recorded 27 inches of rain in just 48 hours.
The rainfall totals in the Houston area are expected to easily surpass the figures recorded in 2001, when Tropical Storm Allison dumped nearly 40 inches of rainfall.
Residents walk through high waters, the remnants of Hurricane Harvey, on Watonga Boulevard in Houston on Sunday
This image made from a video shows a view from U.S. Route 59 of flooding on West Bellfort Avenue in Houston on Sunday
Houston Police SWAT officer Daryl Hudeck carries Catherine Pham and her 13-month-old son Aiden after rescuing them from their home surrounded by floodwaters in Houston
Jeremy Collier points toward a flooded shopping center after rescuing his wife Anna Collier and friend Melissa Merito from flood waters in Pearland, on the outskirts of Houston
This image made from a video shows a view of U.S. Route 59 and flooding along West Bellfort Avenue in Houston
Evacuation residents from the Meyerland area walk onto an I-610 overpass for further help during the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey in Houston
A man is seen crossing a flooded street in Houston on Sunday. Harvey left a trail of devastation after the most powerful storm to hit the U.S. mainland in over a decade slammed into Texas on Friday
In this photo provided by the Rosenberg Police Department water rushes from a large sinkhole on Highway FM 762 in Rosenberg, Texas, near Houston
The all-time record for highest rainfall level is 48 inches, which was left by Tropical Storm Amelia in 1978.
Volume-wise, this has likely reached the rainfall that fell during Allison in June 2001, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Weather Prediction Center.
Harvey has also made August 2017 the rainiest month ever for Houston.
So far, 28.43 inches of rain have fallen on America’s fourth-largest city, beating the previous record of 19.21 inches from June 2001.
The storm’s effects are likely to be even more devastating given the fact that Harvey is expected to linger for at least the next three days.
That means additional rainfall of 25 inches in the Houston metro area.
So far, weather authorities say that the middle and upper Texas coast has seen between 15 and 25 inches of rainfall.
In some isolated areas, precipitation has already reached 50 inches.
‘The breadth and intensity of this rainfall is beyond anything experienced before,’ the National Weather Service said in a statement.
The above weather map shows the areas of intense precipitation, with Houston and Southeast Harris County being the hardest hit
The entire region is on alert for tornadoes, severe thunderstorms, and flash floods
As of 4pm local time Sunday in Houston, parts of the city’s metropolitan area had received over 25 inches of rain, according to The Weather Channel
Average rainfall totals will end up around 40 inches for Houston, weather service meteorologist Patrick Burke said, though some areas could see as much as 50 inches
Average rainfall totals will end up around 40 inches for Houston, weather service meteorologist Patrick Burke said.
In Deep South Texas and Texas Hill Country near the Louisiana frontier, between five and 15 inches of rainfall has been recorded.
The remnants of Hurricane Harvey sent devastating floods pouring into Houston on Sunday as rising water left thousands stranded and overwhelmed rescuers.
Helicopters, boats and high-water vehicles swarmed around inundated areas, pulling people from their homes or from the turbid water, which was high enough in some places to gush into second floors.
As the extent of the flooding emerged, President Donald Trump announced he will travel to Texas on Tuesday.
White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders tolds reporters the White House is still coordinating logistics with state and local officials.
She added: ‘We continue to keep all of those affected in our thoughts and prayers.’
The flooding from the tropical storm was so widespread that authorities had trouble pinpointing the worst areas.
They urged people to get on top of their homes to avoid becoming trapped in attics and to wave sheets or towels to draw attention to their location.
As floodwaters rose, the National Weather Service offered another ominous forecast:
The director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Brock Long, said the government expected to conduct a ‘mass care mission’ and predicted that the aftermath of the storm would require Fema’s involvement for years.
In Deep South Texas and Texas Hill Country near the Louisiana frontier, between five and 15 inches of rainfall has been recorded
The flooding from the tropical storm was so widespread that authorities had trouble pinpointing the worst areas
The remnants of Hurricane Harvey sent devastating floods pouring into Houston on Sunday as rising water left thousands stranded and overwhelmed rescuers
The storm’s effects are likely to be even more devastating given the fact that Harvey is expected to linger for at least the next three days
‘This disaster’s going to be a landmark event,’ Mr Long said.
Rescuers had to give top priority to life-and-death situations, leaving many displaced families to fend for themselves.
The city’s main convention center was quickly opened as a shelter.
Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez used Twitter to field calls for assistance.
Among those seeking help was a woman who posted: ‘I have two children with me and the water is swallowing us up.’
Some people used inflatable beach toys, rubber rafts and even air mattresses to get through the water to safety.
Others waded while carrying rubbish bags stuffed with their belongings and small animals in pet carriers.
Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner said authorities had received more than 2,000 calls for help, with more coming in.
He urged drivers to stay off flooded roads to avoid adding to the number of those stranded.
‘I don’t need to tell anyone this is a very, very serious and unprecedented storm,’ Mr Turner told a news conference.
‘We have several hundred structural flooding reports. We expect that number to rise pretty dramatically.’
The mayor defended his decision not to ask residents to evacuate before the heavy rain from Harvey swamped roads and neighborhoods.
He said there was no way to know which areas were most vulnerable.
‘If you think the situation right now is bad, and you give an order to evacuate, you are creating a nightmare,’ he said, citing the risks of sending the city’s 2.3 million inhabitants onto the roads at the same time.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott announced the state had activated 3,000 National Guard and State Guard members to cope with the flooding, along with 500 vehicles and 14 aircraft.
And as a sinkhole opened on a road about 25 miles south west of Houston, Mr Abbott revealed there were now 250 road closures around Texas.
Rainfall of more than four inches per hour resulted in water levels higher than in any recent floods and higher than during Tropical Storm Allison in June 2001, said Jeff Linder of flood control district in Harris County, which includes Houston.
The Coast Guard, which received more than 300 requests for help, deployed five helicopters and asked for additional aircraft from New Orleans.
Staff at a Houston television station broadcasting live coverage of the floods had to evacuate after water started to gush into the building.
The anchors and news operations at KHOU moved first to a second floor before finally abandoning the station.