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New NOAA Maps Show the Torrents Harvey Unleashed on Texas

At a Glance

New maps released by NOAA show updated rainfall totals from Harvey from the South to the Ohio Valley.
More than 60 inches of rain fell at two sites in extreme southeastern Texas.
Flash flooding was reported from Texas to Kentucky.

New, detailed maps from NOAA's Weather Prediction Center show the record amount of rainfall that fell across parts of Louisiana and Texas during Hurricane Harvey.

The maps from the Center's David Roth show multiple bull's-eyes near the Texas/Louisiana border city of Beaumont, Texas, and its suburb of Nederland, which saw more than 60 inches of rain.

(MORE: Hurricane Harvey Recap | Hurricane Central)

Hurricane Harvey slammed into the Texas coast at Category 4 intensity with devastating storm surge and high winds, then slowed to a crawl dumping record rainfall over southeast Texas during an agonizing crawl in late August 2017, producing massive flooding. (Map: David Roth/NOAA/NWS/WPC) — Rainfall totals from Harvey in 2017.
(David Roth/Weather Prediction Center)

The top rainfall total is 60.58 inches in Nederland, Texas, from Aug. 24-Sep. 1. A second site – Groves, Texas – also topped the previous record by receiving more than 60 inches during that same time period.

Pending final confirmation, this rainfall total would be the heaviest from any tropical cyclone in the U.S. in records dating to 1950, topping the 48-inch storm total in Medina, Texas, from Tropical Storm Amelia in 1978, according to Roth's research.

In a secondary climax south of the Houston metro, more than 50 inches of rain fell mainly in parts of Harris and Galveston counties, including the Houston suburbs of Friendswood and League City. Additional communities that saw more than 50 inches include:

60.58 inches near Nederland, Texas (new national Tropical Cyclone rainfall record)
60.54 inches in Groves, Texas (also more than the previous national Tropical Cyclone rainfall record set in 1978)
56 inches in Friendswood, Texas
54.77 inches near Santa Fe, Texas
54 inches near Bunker Hill Village, Texas
52.87 inches on Clear Creek at Interstate 45 near League City, Texas

Flood-prone Houston saw days of flash flooding as Harvey stagnated over the Lone Star State. At least 45 people were killed by Harvey, including in its floodwaters.

Flooding sat around for more than two weeks in some portions of the Houston metro, but most floodwaters receded within 2 to 7 days across southeastern Texas.

(MORE: 2017 Hurricane Season Now the Seventh Most Active on Record)

Although Harvey's rain totals were orders of magnitude higher along the coast, its rain spread well into the Tennessee and Ohio River valleys along Harvey's northeastward path. Harvey was one of the wettest tropical cyclones to move through Kentucky and Tennessee since records began.

Flash flooding was common in parts of both states after more than eight inches fell across parts of northern Middle Tennessee and south-central Kentucky. Major flash flooding was reported in the Nashville metro area, where numerous water rescues and evacuations were performed.