Harvey’s flooding rains continue; Sunday shower chance in Minnesota
Go Deeper.
Create an account or log in to save stories.
Like this?
Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.
Hurricane Harvey toppled buildings, trees and power lines in parts of southeast Texas Friday night and Saturday.
Harvey also brought torrential flooding rains.
Here's a sample of the damage and flooding in Rockport, Texas, where Harvey made landfall Friday evening:
As of Saturday evening, one hurricane related fatality had been reported in Rockport.
Turn Up Your Support
MPR News helps you turn down the noise and build shared understanding. Turn up your support for this public resource and keep trusted journalism accessible to all.
Hurricane Harvey became Tropical Storm Harvey Saturday afternoon, as its maximum sustained winds dropped below 74 mph.
The center of Harvey has become almost stationary, as illustrated in this Saturday afternoon satellite loop from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s GOES-16 satellite:
GOES-16 is NOAA's newest weather satellite, and it is still in its testing phase.
Harvey's max winds were at 60 mph Saturday evening, according to the National Hurricane Center:
Tropical Storm Harvey Intermediate Advisory Number 26A
NWS National Hurricane Center Miami FL AL092017
700 PM CDT Sat Aug 26 2017
...TROPICAL STORM HARVEY DRIFTING EAST-NORTHEASTWARD...
...TORRENTIAL RAINS WILL CONTINUE...
SUMMARY OF 700 PM CDT...0000 UTC...INFORMATION
----------------------------------------------
LOCATION...29.2N 97.4W
ABOUT 40 MI...65 KM NW OF VICTORIA TEXAS
ABOUT 70 MI...115 KM ESE OF SAN ANTONIO TEXAS
MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS...60 MPH...95 KM/H
PRESENT MOVEMENT...ENE OR 060 DEGREES AT 2 MPH
MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE...992 MB...29.29 INCHES
WATCHES AND WARNINGS
--------------------
CHANGES WITH THIS ADVISORY:
None.
SUMMARY OF WATCHES AND WARNINGS IN EFFECT:
A Storm Surge Warning is in effect for...
* Port Aransas to High Island Texas
A Tropical Storm Warning is in effect for...
* Baffin Bay to High Island Texas
A Storm Surge Warning means there is a danger of life-threatening
inundation from rising water moving inland from the coastline in the
indicated locations. For a depiction of areas at risk, please see
the National Weather Service Storm Surge Watch/Warning Graphic,
available at hurricanes.gov. This is a life-threatening situation.
For storm information specific to your area, including possible
inland watches and warnings, please monitor products issued by your
local National Weather Service forecast office.
DISCUSSION AND 48-HOUR OUTLOOK
------------------------------
At 700 PM CDT (0000 UTC), the center of Tropical Storm Harvey was
located by Doppler radar near latitude 29.2 North, longitude 97.4
West. Harvey has been drifting east-northeastward for the past few
hours. Little additional motion is anticipated during the next few
days.
Maximum sustained winds have decreased to near 60 mph (95 km/h)
with higher gusts. Additional weakening is expected during the next
day or two.
Tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 115 miles (185 km)
from the center. San Marcos Regional Airport recently reported
sustained winds of 40 mph (65 km/h) and a wind gust of 53 mph
(85 km/h).
The estimated minimum central pressure is 992 mb (29.29 inches).
HAZARDS AFFECTING LAND
----------------------
RAINFALL: Harvey is expected to produce additional rain
accumulations of 15 to 25 inches over the middle and upper Texas
coast through Thursday. Isolated storm totals may reach around 40
inches in this area. Elsewhere during the same period, Harvey is
expected to produce total rain accumulations of 5 to 15 inches
farther south toward the lower Texas coast, farther west toward the
Texas Hill Country and southwest and central Louisiana. Rainfall of
this magnitude will cause catastrophic and life-threatening
flooding. A list of rainfall observations compiled by the NOAA
Weather Prediction Center can be found at:
www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/discussions/nfdscc1.html
STORM SURGE: The combination of a dangerous storm surge and the
tide will cause normally dry areas near the coast to be flooded by
rising waters moving inland from the shoreline. The water is
expected to reach the following heights above ground if the peak
surge occurs at the time of high tide...
Port Aransas to Sargent...4 to 7 ft
Sargent to High Island including Galveston Bay...2 to 4 ft
High Island to Morgan City...1 to 2 ft
The deepest water will occur along the immediate coast near the
area of onshore winds, where the surge will be accompanied by large
and destructive waves. Surge-related flooding depends on the
relative timing of the surge and the tidal cycle, and can vary
greatly over short distances. For information specific to your
area, please see products issued by your local National Weather
Service forecast office.
WIND: Tropical storm conditions are occurring in portions of
the tropical storm warning area, and are likely to persist along
portions of the coast through at least Sunday.
SURF: Swells generated by Harvey are affecting the Texas,
Louisiana, and northeast Mexico coasts. These swells are likely to
cause life-threatening surf and rip current conditions. Please
consult products from your local weather office.
TORNADOES: A few tornadoes are possible through Monday near the
middle and upper Texas coast into far southwest Louisiana.
Some areas in southeastern Texas have already seen over 10 inches of rain:
Harvey could bring an additional 10 to 20+ inches of rain to southeastern Texas from Saturday night through Thursday:
Catastrophic flooding is expected in parts of southeastern Texas:
This Houston forecast says it all:
They are expecting periods of heavy rain in Houston for several days.
Minnesota rain chances
The official rainfall total was 1.58 inches at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport from Friday night through Saturday afternoon.
Scattered showers are possible on Sunday, especially over eastern Minnesota and western Wisconsin.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's North American Mesoscale forecast model shows the potential rain pattern:
An isolated thunderstorm is also possible Sunday afternoon.
Still cool
We only reached 67 degrees for our official Twin Cities metro area high temp on Saturday.
We should top 70 degrees on Sunday, but northeastern Minnesota will see 60s:
Our average high is 79 degrees this time of year in the Twin Cities.
Twin Cities highs should reach the lower 70s Monday, then upper 70s Tuesday and lower 80s on Wednesday.
Programming note
You can hear my live weather updates on Minnesota Public Radio at 7:49 a.m. Thursdays and Fridays, and at 7:35 a.m., 9:35 a.m. and 4:35 p.m. each Saturday and Sunday.