Hurricane Harvey: Calm After The Storm Belies Ongoing Flood Threat For Central Texas

AUSTIN, TX — At least for now, the most dire predictions of the after-effects of Hurricane Harvey in Central Texas failed to materialize. But residents aren't out of the woods yet as a steady amount of rain through the weekend and beyond could yield flooding.

Coming in like a wrecking ball as a Category 4 hurricane Friday night at around 10 p.m. in the Texas Gulf Coast, Harvey petered out to a Cat 3 hurricane, then Cat 2 to its present iteration as a Category 1 storm. The hardest hit regions are along the coastline, where heavy sheets of torrential rain have pelted cities, numerous tornado warnings issued and power cut off to tens of thousands of residents.

The Austin region, along with Williamson County, was sparwed from the most powerful effects along Harvey's edges. But it's the cumulative rainfall fueled by Harvey that is the centerpiece of concerns in the region.

Lower Colorado River Authority gauges attest to the measurable rainfall totals so far in outlying cities since Harvey's landfall late Friday

: Some 2.78 inches in Bastrop, another 4.51 inches in La Grange, both just in the past six hours. In the Austin area, rainfall totals were more anemic, ranging from 1.25 inches to 1.43 inches, according to other LCRA gauges.

But those amounts could reach much higher cumulative totals in the coming days, making the scene ripe for flooding. Forecasters are still predicting up to 15 inches of rain by Wednesday on the high end, five inches on the conservative side of estimates.

But some areas could get up to 30 inches when it's all said and done, according to forecasters.

The threat is real:National Weather Serviceofficials have placed the five-county Cental Texas region—Travis, Williamson, Bastrop, Hays and Caldwell counties—under a flash flood watch through Tuesday night.

"Life-threatening heavy rainfall event expected across inland portions of South Central Texas," NWS officials wrote in their flood advisory.

In the coming days as water begins to accumulate, motorists should visit ATXfloods .com to check on which low water crossings are blocked from passage. So far, just two dozen of the region's 1,677 low water crossings had been closed at last check noon Saturday.

For now, the situation across Central Texas is relatively calm. But if we've learned anything about Texas weather is its unpredictability and mercurial nature. The lingering effects of Harvey remain, even while it failed to hit the region with the predicted force.

Still, residents are advised not to be lulled into a false sense of security. Although shrunken in size, Harvey remains and could still prove deadly.

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