Non-stop rain, fog, and flash flooding continue to threaten the southern part of the nation
Excessive rainfall and upstream runoff will continue to plague parts of the Gulf Coast Thursday, prompting officials in both Texas and Louisiana to issue flood watches and warnings affecting nearly 40 million people.
The National Weather Service forecasts non-stop rain and flash flooding for parts of southeast Texas, including Austin, Brazos, Burleson, Colorado, Grimes, Harris, Houston, Liberty, Madison, Montgomery, Polk, San Jacinto, Trinity, Walker, Waller and Washington counties.
In San Jacinto, schools will be closed for the rest of the week , officials said.
The flood warning for the Houston region will remain in effect until just after noon local time.
There also were reports of dense fog in Austin and Dallas in the morning; much of the central United States was blanketed in fog overnight, with it clearing faster in other areas, like Kentucky and Tennessee.
Flooding already has impacted much of the area from heavy storms on Wednesday, which led to the cresting of rivers, creeks and streams. Street flooding was reported in low-lying and flood-prone areas.