Many Katy area residents were caught by surprise when their outdoor plans for Labor Day were drowned out by rains pushed ashore by Tropical Storm Hermine.
Although the storm was nowhere near the southeast Texas coast, it pushed large amounts of tropical moisture ashore, triggering bands of rainfall that began drenching the Katy area shortly before noon yesterday.
Sammy Castro and his family had a day-long family picnic planned at George Bush Park. As skies darkened, the family moved beneath a sheltered pavilion as Castro tended the barbecue with a cautious eye on the storm.
“I didn’t know nothing about this; we didn’t even know there was a storm out there,” he said. “I guess I’ll try and get the ribs and burgers done and we’ll eat under the cover. Maybe the sun will come back out later.”
The Castro family doggedly huddled under the shelter for a slightly-soggy picnic, but eventually decided pull down the volleyball net and continue its Labor Day plans at home.
“I guess next time we’ll have to check the weather closer,” Castro said.
Mary Peters thought she would be able to enjoy some quality time at the dog park with her Labradors, Heckle and Jeckle. As the dogs romped, Peters donned a rain poncho.
“It’s from a tropical storm? Really?” she said when told what was causing the storm. “I didn’t even hear anything about it. Where did it come from? The last thing I heard about was Hurricane Earl up in New England. I never heard of Hermine.”
As the drizzle turned to a steady rain, Peters said she would “grin and bear it” while the dogs played.
“They don’t care about the rain; they’re water dogs. I’ll just let them have a good time and try to stay as dry as I can,” she said.
Larry Bolton said his family had plans for Galveston, but made a quick change after seeing the morning forecast.
“We just moved to Katy and the kids are in new schools, so we promised them a trip to Galveston for Labor Day to kind of wind down from all the stress of the move. They’re pretty bummed, but instead we’re going to go to the mall, get some ice cream and that kind of thing,” Bolton said. “We’re going to try and do Galveston next weekend, maybe even spend the night down there to make up for it.”
Parts of the Katy area remain under a flash flood warning through 7 p.m. tonight as moisture continues to push ashore.
The chance of rainfall is 80 percent today and tonight, and 50 percent for Wednesday.
