Heavy rains flood streets, airport

Cars and trucks like this pickup tried to drive through deep water on Tidwell. Some didn't make it due to flooded engines.

Woman drowns at Parker, 1-45 frontage road

NORTHEAST HOUSTON — Friday night’s rainstorms caused traffic delays, stalled cars, and in at least one instance a death.

The weather bureau reported 2-4 inches of rain fell during the day and evening in the western and northern parts of Harris County, including Aldine and Greenspoint, and later in Galveston and Chambers Counties. More rain was predicted for the rest of the weekend.

Delays at Bush Intercontinental Airport were experienced by a number of flights. Roadways experiencing high water included frontage roads on I-45 near Parker, Tidwell at McGallion, and Eastex frontage roads near Aldine Mail Route.

Major accidents included an 18 wheeler that crashed on I-45 near the North Loop, closing all southbound lanes, and a car that drove into a retaining pond along the frontage road of I-45 near Parker. The woman driver, identified as Cassandra Bryant, 47, was pronounced dead at the scene, her car having sunk in over 6 feet of water according to HPD Sgt. E. Smith. The officer said it looked like the woman drove into a parking lot for safety, not knowing that a retention pond was under the flood waters, too. Witnesses said they tried to save her, but she stayed in her car as it sank.

Power outages were also reported by Centerpoint, with as many as 13,000 customers without power for several hours. By midnight the storms had passed through the area, and traffic was returning to normal in most areas. However, motorists were cautioned to look for more flooding over the next few days because of predicted storms coming from the west.