Localized street flooding possible, but worst of this week’s rains expected south of Houston

Houstonians can expect a soggy week, with forecasters predicting heavy rains and the possibility of localized street flooding even as the worst of the storms are expected to hit south of the city.

At a gathering of city officials at the Houston Office of Emergency Management on Monday, Mayor John Whitmire told residents to prepare for this week’s rain event but said he wanted to avoid unnecessary anxiety about the coming rainfall.

“We learned from the derecho that you always have to be prepared,” Whitmire said, citing last month’s storm that left 900,000 people without power for days as high winds 65 to 70 mph tore through Houston.

The city’s Department of Public Works still is removing debris left behind by the May derecho, but is prioritizing ditches, culverts and other drainage infrastructure to allow stormwater to flow, Whitmire said.

Reporters Paul Cobler and McKenna Oxenden contributed to this story.