The sheer scale of Hurricane Harvey is that some parts of Texas may experience a year’s worth of rainfall in just over a week – has undoubtedly contributed to the extent of the flooding.
The storm has become wedged between two weather systems, one trying to push it north, the other trying to push it south, which means it is likely to continue to pour on Houston for days.
But Harvey has dumped so much on Houston that at this point it is reabsorbing that water from the flooded city and hurling it back down.
Experts say that even less volatile storms in the future will cause widespread damage to Houston.
At the same time, the changing climate means these heavy storms are becoming more frequent.
Thousands of evacuees have streamed in by the busload to Houston's George R. Brown Convention Center, the largest shelter serving victims of Harvey.
The shelter originally said it could take 5,000 but is currently over capacity at 6,000.
US President Donald Trump has promised swift action to help those affected.
He is due to visit Texas today.
Trump has also approved an emergency declaration for neighbouring Louisiana.
Source: ABC News
