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| Houston police responded to more than 125 calls from stranded motorists Wednesday after a storm dumped 8 inches of rain on parts of the city. Photo courtesy of Larry Satterwhite/Houston Police/Twitter |
By Susan McFarland, UPI
Flood watches and warnings are in effect Thursday for Texas' largest city after a day of heavy rains that evoked memories of Hurricane Harvey a year ago.
[post_ads]Hours of rain caused flooding in parts of Houston on Wednesday and led to the cancellation of July Fourth festivities and warnings from city officials to stay off the streets.
As the water rose, scenes around the city began to resemble those from Harvey, a storm blamed for at least 88 deaths. Eighty percent died by drowning.
Rain totals from Harvey last August reached 50 inches in less than four days.
Flood warnings will remain in effect through Thursday evening, forecasters said.
On Wednesday, parts of Houston got as many as 8 inches of rain, and 6 inches were recorded at the city's Hobby Airport.
Many motorists struggled or stalled in the streets as they began to flood, the rising waters even engulfing some vehicles.
Houston police had responded to more than 125 calls from stranded motorists by mid-Wednesday.
Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner said the flooding made a lot of people uneasy, coming less than a year after Harvey.
"This is very close to Hurricane Harvey. Anytime you've got a lot of rain, there's a lot of nervousness," Turner said.
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