Hazardous Weather Forecast

HOUSTON, February 15, 2008 - TONIGHT... SCATTERED SHOWERS AND ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS WILL PERSIST OVER SOUTHEAST TEXAS TONIGHT AS MOISTURE CONTINUES TO INCREASE IN ADVANCE OF AN APPROACHING UPPER LEVEL STORM SYSTEM. A FEW STRONGER STORMS ARE POSSIBLE AFTER 4 AM...WITH THE POTENTIAL FOR SMALL HAIL AND GUSTY WINDS. RAINFALL AMOUNTS TONIGHT WILL AVERAGE 1/4 TO 1/2 INCH WITH ISOLATED TOTALS TO AN INCH. OTHERWISE...HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS NOT EXPECTED.

SATURDAY AND SATURDAY NIGHT... AN APPROACHING UPPER LEVEL STORM SYSTEM WILL COMBINE WITH A VERY MOIST AND UNSTABLE AIRMASS TO PRODUCE NUMEROUS SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS SATURDAY. STRONG SHEAR IN THE LOWER LEVELS OF THE ATMOSPHERE WILL SUPPORT THE DEVELOPMENT OF SUPERCELLS AND ISOLATED TORNADOES DURING THE LATE MORNING THROUGH EARLY EVENING HOURS SATURDAY. IN ADDITION TO TORNADOES...FREQUENT LIGHTNING... LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS WILL ALSO BE POSSIBLE.

A SQUALL LINE WILL DEVELOP OVER THE WESTERN COUNTIES OF SOUTHEAST TEXAS BEGINNING MID AFTERNOON SATURDAY...AND MOVE EAST ACROSS THE AREA DURING THE LATE AFTERNOON AND EVENING HOURS. SOME OF THESE STORMS COULD BECOME SEVERE PRODUCING DAMAGING WINDS...HAIL... FREQUENT LIGHTNING AND HEAVY RAINFALL.

THROUGH SATURDAY EVENING...WIDESPREAD RAINFALL AMOUNTS OF 1 TO 2 INCHES ARE EXPECTED...WITH ISOLATED TOTALS UP TO 4 INCHES POSSIBLE. LOCALIZED FLOODING OF STREETS...FEEDER ROADS...SECONDARY ROADS...AND LOW WATER CROSSINGS WILL BE POSSIBLE WITH THE STRONGEST STORMS.

THE SEVERE WEATHER THREAT WILL BEGIN MID MORNING SATURDAY AND LAST WELL INTO THE EVENING HOURS. THE THREAT FOR SEVERE WEATHER WITH THIS EVENT WILL BE GREATER THAN THE AREA HAS SEEN DURING RECENT EVENTS.