A stronger-than-predicted swath of storms stranded motorists and school children for hours Tuesday as floodwaters filled streets and homes in the Houston area from Sugar Land to Kingwood, according to officials. Officials warned that another round storms with the potential for heavy rainfall this week could exacerbate already damp conditions. "With the ground saturated, anytime between now and Saturday it's not going to take much to cause high water situations," said Francisco Sanchez, spokesman for the Harris County Office of Homeland Security & Emergency Management. "This is just a preview of what we might see next weekend. The forecast was wrong and we hope we don't have a repeat of this." Around 8 p.m., the Harris County Office of Homeland Security & Emergency Management declared a level three alert. "This is not in any way a Harvey-level event," Sanchez assured. "This was a storm system that came through that was under forecasted." The storm dumped a whopping eight to 10 inches of rain in Kingwood, just days after deadly winds swept through the area. During a patrol in the Houston suburb, police Chief Art Acevedo spotted dozens of stuck cars in waist-deep water and urged drivers to stay off the roads as high-water rescue crews were dispatched to the area. Residents were evacuated from flooding homes in the Elm Grove subdivision in the 5500 and 5600 blocks of Village Springs Drive, he said in a phone call, and young children were rescued from a preschool that began filling with water. “That subdivision didn’t even flood during Harvey,” Mayor Sylvester Turner said. The Houston Fire Department received about 240 high-water rescue calls in the Kingwood area and responded to about 40, a spokesperson said. A command center was set up along Kingwood Parkway to help a line of trapped motorists on the flooded roadways. There were no known reports of injuries. Students at Kingwood High School were forced to shelter in place until around 9 p.m. because of the storm, police said. Flood warnings were also issued for Fort Bend County, particularly in Sugar Land, where all major roadways were deemed "impassible" because of the rain. Since the worst of the storm began, city spokesman Doug Adolph said they had eight inches of precipitation and were expecting more. "This is worse than what we experienced in Harvey," Sugar Land spokesman Doug Adolph said. "Our storm drains have been unable to handle the rain in the short amount of time." Firefighters in Sugar Land were also dispatched to at least six structure fires caused by the storm's lightning, Adolph said. A flood watch was also ordered for Missouri City, Rosenberg, Stafford and Richmond. TRACK THE STORMS: See where the rain is falling Fort Bend County Judge KP George waived tolls on the Fort Bend Parkway, Westpark Toll Road and Grand Parkway in an attempt to keep motorists away from flooded roads. Residents in southwest Houston, from Meyerland to Westbury to NRG Park and areas around Brays Bayou, were urged to monitor flood conditions. As the storms tracked east, residents from Pearland to Baytown were placed under a flash flood warning. Harris County was under a flash flood watch until 2 a.m. Wednesday. More for you News Turn around: These Houston streets had most flooding... In isolated areas of southwest Houston, as of press time, the Harris County Flood Control District had recorded more than four inches of precipitation. Nearby, there were reports of high-water rescues in Chinatown and Brays Oaks, and police were warning of rising water in the Meyerland area. The brunt of the rain — along with its flurry of lightning — began around 3 p.m. and continued through much of the evening. In downtown Houston, a loud thunder clap interrupted Harris County Flood Control District meteorologist Jeff Lindner and brought a chuckle to a federal courtroom as he testified about extreme weather in a Harvey-related case. Jay R. Jordan, Gabrielle Banks and J.R. Gonzales contributed to this report. BREAKING NEWS | ALERTS Get breaking news sent directly to your inbox. See More Collapse Got pictures of flooding around Houston? Send them to photos@chron.com.<doc-sep>Heavy storms and rain caused severe flooding across the Houston area, with areas near Kingwood hit the hardest. Some Kingwood area students and business owners were stranded Tuesday night during the storm. An estimated 400 homes flooded in Kingwood, KHOU reported.<doc-sep>There was flooding all across the Houston area on Tuesday. And there could be more in the coming days. HOUSTON — Gov. Greg Abbott said late Tuesday night he would send additional rescue boats to assist residents in Houston and Harris County. As for school districts, Cleveland ISD and New Caney ISD are among those that will be closed Wednesday. GET ALERTS ON THE GO: Download the KHOU 11 app and follow us on Facebook and Twitter City of Sugar Land officials said all major roadways are impassable after receiving more than 7 inches of rain in 4 hours. Water is receding slowly, however. Fort Bend County Judge KP George tweeted all tolls would be waived on the Fort Bend Parkway, Westpark Toll Road and Grand Parkway in Fort Bend County. He issued a disaster declaration for the county late Tuesday night. Sugar Land resident Alie King and her family got 4 inches of water in their home in the Tara subdivision in Richmond. New Caney ISD said due to safety concerns, buses will not be transporting students home Tuesday night. District officials said campuses will remain open for parents to pick up their children throughout the evening and into the night. The district will be closed Wednesday due to severe weather. The Houston Fire Department said as of 7 p.m. Tuesday, evacuations for 20 to 30 residents from homes north of Northpark Drive were underway. One KHOU 11 viewer shared video of a man in Kingwood whose car took on water as he drove through heavy rain and floodwaters. There was also street flooding in Spring. Pedro sent us video of high water near Aldine Westfield. Jake Smookier shared video of pounding rain in Spring. He said the strong thunderstorm knocked out power in his neighborhood.<doc-sep>EMBED >More News Videos ABC13 Eyewitness News Reporter Katherine Marchand was there the moment when more of the road collapsed. HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- It could take up to two months to repair a road that collapsed in Kingwood after Tuesday's storms.The evaluation by the Houston Public Works Transportation and Drainage Operations concluded that Hamblen Road was completely washed away and will need to be reconstructed.The road partially collapsed as strong storms dropped about nine inches of rain in just three hours. The ground was already saturated from rain last week and just couldn't take on any more water.ABC13 Eyewitness News Reporter Katherine Marchand was there the moment more of the road collapsed Wednesday around 6:30 a.m. It was caught on our camera.Underneath the road, you can see a small piece connecting both sides, but there's nothing supporting it. It's hollowed out. There's only about a foot and a half of the street left. "We all know the power of water. Anytime it comes with that magnitude and that force, it's bound to happen," Houston Police Department Officer Felipe Flores said.According to the City of Houston, from September 2012 to May 7, 2019, the public works department received 10 requests for Hamblen Road. Five of the 10 requests were for street repairs like potholes and asphalt patches. Those requests were complete.Meanwhile, officers are positioned on both sides of the collapsed road to make sure no one drives through this area.<doc-sep>
The storms that hit the Houston area overnight left a trail of damage for morning commuters to avoid. A few high water spots remain active in metro area on the Houston TranStar map, as well as large clusters of high water spots near Sugar Land. National Weather Service meteorologists said more than 12 inches of rain fell in Sugar Land from 7 a.m. Tuesday to 1 a.m. Wednesday. According to a Facebook post from the city, the majority of the street flooding in Sugar Land has receded, but some streets are still impassable. TUESDAY: Thunderstorms bring flooding, water rescues and power outages to Houston area As much as 10 inches of rain was dumped near Kingwood between 7 a.m. Tuesday and 1 a.m. Wednesday. The storms washed away a large chunk of Hamblen Road east of Redbud Lane in Kingwood. The rain totals ranged significantly, with some areas of Harris County only seeing around 1-inch, the weather service reported. In addition to flooded roadways, at least four schools districts around Houston cancelled classes Wednesday: Cleveland, New Caney, Splendora and Huffman. More Information STAY INFORMED: Text CHRON to 77453 to get breaking news alerts by text | Sign up to receive breaking news alerts delivered to your email here. See More Collapse Many districts made accommodations Tuesday for student to wait out the storms through the evening. New Caney ISD also made accommodations for students to stay overnight, according to a Facebook post. Additionally, hundreds of power outages persist in the north and southwest parts of the Harris County, including one large cluster of outages near Bissonnet and Gessner, according to the CenterPoint outage tracker. More thunderstorms are expected between noon and 3 p.m. in areas north of Houston, according to the National Weather Service. The areas saturated by overnight rainfall could see flooding again today, the weather service said. The storms are expected to stall out north of Interstate 10. This story will be updated as more information becomes available. Julian Gill is a digital reporter in Houston. Read him on our breaking news site, Chron.com, and on our subscriber site, houstonchronicle.com. | julian.gill@chron.com | NEWS WHEN YOU NEED IT: Text CHRON to 77453 to receive breaking news alerts by text message | Sign up for breaking news alerts delivered to your email here.