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A day after storms continued to buffet Houston, causing flooding, road closures and general chaos, the weather situation moved to mostly calm on Saturday.

Houston got roughly half an inch of rain over the course of the day Saturday, some from isolated thunderstorms, with rainfall totals varying across the city.

Harris County’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management moved its alert level back to “normal,” saying the danger of flooding had mostly passed. And at the city’s airports, flight schedules were unimpeded.

Forecasters said the bad weather — in large part tropical moisture pulled in by Hurricane Alex — was leaving the area and could be completely gone by next week.

The National Weather Service put the chance of thunderstorms for the Fourth of July at 30 percent, although there could be scattered storms throughout Houston.

“With daytime heating, one area will get a shower and another will get rain,” Weather Service meteorologist Charles Roeseler explained.

Nicholas Kosar, a meteorologist with Houston-based Impact Weather Inc., said the area could see some localized flooding because the ground is still very wet.

Fireworks ready to go

Parts of the greater Houston area were pummeled by rain on Thursday and Friday, flooding freeway feeder roads, causing car accidents and damaging some buildings in West Columbia.

Brazoria County caught the brunt of the bad weather, getting 10 to 12 inches of rain Thursday and Friday. In Houston, Hobby Airport got nearly 9 inches and George Bush Intercontinental got about 6 inches over the course of the storm.

The wet weather had caused some concern that the July 4 fireworks show at Eleanor Tinsley Park might have to be canceled. But a day after officials had to set off a controlled explosion to keep some of the fireworks from being carried away by rising water, an organizer said there were enough fireworks to continue the display as scheduled.

“It’s all systems go,” said Susan Christian, with the Mayor’s Office of Special Events.

Via: Chron.com