Overnight storms bring flooded streets, downed tree limbs, and a rising Oso Creek

A CCRTA bus pushed its way through a flooded McArdle Road while other drivers were forced to turn around. Some neighbors spent the day cleaning up broken tree limbs.

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Heavy overnight storms brought flooded roadways, fast-moving runoff and downed tree limbs across parts of the Coastal Bend.

Drivers encountered standing water in several areas Wednesday morning, including along Holly Road and Ayers Street, where cars were seen pushing through flooded intersections.

3News’ Lexis Green was live during 3News First Edition along McArdle Road where we showed a CCRTA bus pushing its way through the flood water while other drivers turned around.

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In another neighborhood near Doddridge and Reid, the storm left behind large broken tree limbs and debris.

Charlene Hibbetts, who has lived in the area for decades, said the storm startled her overnight.

“My house shook,” Hibbetts said.

Hibbetts said she quickly realized a large branch had narrowly missed hitting her home.

“I went into the other room, looked out the bathroom window and saw it. Thank you lord it didn’t hit the roof,” she said.

City crews arrived shortly afterward to help clear the roadway and remove debris.

“I appreciate the city, I really do,” Hibbetts said.

On the city’s south side near the South Texas Botanical Gardens, runoff from the storms could be seen rapidly flowing into Oso Creek.

Video shot near the Staples Street bridge showed water moving swiftly underneath the overpass as creek levels continued rising from the overnight rainfall.

Chief Meteorologist Carly Smith said Oso Creek was forecasted to reach near a major flood stage and expected to slowly recede through the rest of the week.

“It’s about 22 feet and cresting right now,” she said during the lunch hour. “It should start going down through the rest of the week,” Smith said.

While some low-lying areas could continue seeing minor flooding, Smith said widespread major flooding is not expected at this time.

“It’s around 25 feet where you start to see more issues in Kings Crossing. Above that is major flood stage,” she said.

Smith also noted that while the full Oso Creek is helping the bay system, it does little to solve the region’s ongoing water supply concerns.

“It all goes into the Oso Bay, so it doesn’t really help our water situation. It does help with bay health,” Smith said.

Forecasters expect water levels to gradually fall as drier conditions move back into the Coastal Bend later this week.