Heavy rains near Houston close schools and flood roadways as officials urge residents to evacuate

Mandatory evacuation orders were issued near Houston on Thursday for some residents following heavy rains in Texas that stranded motorists, flooded streets and closed schools as officials warned that conditions in some hard-hit areas could worsen.

"This is a life-threatening situation,” said Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo, the top elected official in the nation's third-largest county.

Storms over the past month in southeast Texas and parts of Louisiana have dumped more than 2 feet (61 centimeters) of rain in some areas...