WHARTON, Texas (AP) - The number of homes ordered evacuated in the Southeast Texas city of Wharton due to the rising Colorado River has been reduced to 30.
Officials in Wharton, 60 miles southwest of Houston, initially included 300 homes as part of a voluntary evacuation.
On Friday, the evacuation was made mandatory, but Mayor Domingo Montalvo Jr. says officials narrowed down the number of homes to an area that tends to flood the most.
The river is expected to crest at just over 43 feet on Saturday morning. That will likely lead to flooding on several residential streets in low-lying areas of the city of about 8,500 residents.
Forecasters say Texas has set rainfall records in several areas this month. The National Weather Service says more than 16 inches of rain has fallen on the Dallas area so far this month, eclipsing a 1982 record of 13.66 inches. Austin has also beaten its May record with more than 17 ½ inches.
More rain is in the forecast this weekend for Texas, Oklahoma and Arkansas. The recent storms have claimed at least 27 lives in Texas and Oklahoma. At least 13 people remain missing in Texas.
