texas

Hurricane Harvey Sets New Record for Tropical Storm Rainfall

Harvey has set yet another U.S. record for rainfall from a tropical system.

A preliminary report from a rain gauge on the Cedar Bayou, east of Highlands, Texas, reported 51.88 inches of rain as of 3 p.m. Tuesday, according to the National Weather Service.

Earlier in the day, a weather station southeast of Houston at Mary's Creek at Winding Road, reported 49.32 inches of rain, the weather service said.

Both reports break the previous continental U.S. record of 48 inches set in 1978 in Medina, Texas, by Tropical Storm Amelia.

Amelia went on to dump 26 inches of rain over Abilene in a 12-hour period.

Meteorologist Marc Chenard of the weather service's Weather Prediction Center said of the record: "It's a big deal."

Already 14 spots in Houston have recorded more than 40 inches (102 centimeters) of rain and 36 different locations in Houston have recorded more than 3 feet (90 centimeters) of rain.

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