As of early afternoon on Saturday Harvey was about to be downgraded to a strong Tropical Storm after raking the Texas coast as a Category 4 monster hurricane packing 130 mph sustained winds. Residents along the coast are just now starting to assess the initial damage from this first major blow. However, the big rain event that is Harvey is just now getting started.

(Harvey’s rains expand over Eastern Texas. Image source: National Weather Service.)

According to the National Hurricane Center, the storm’s forward speed has now slowed down to about 2 miles per hour in a north-bound direction. Meanwhile, its shield of encircling rains is expanding to cover most of eastern Texas. These rains are very intense — producing accumulations of more than 1 inch per hour in many locations. And with Harvey stalling out, such heavy rains are expected to persist over basically the same region and…