A number of road projects are underway in The Woodlands area, funded by the Montgomery County road bond as well as ongoing projects from the Texas Department of Transportation.

Rayford Road and Discovery Creek Boulevard traffic signal

Project: A traffic signal will be placed at the intersection and will add left-turn lanes in both directions on Rayford Road.

Update: Pavement, striping and signalization is scheduled to be completed this summer.

• Timeline: completion by late July or early August
• Cost: $765,000
• Funding source: Montgomery County road bond

Project: The project will redesign the traffic signal and intersection layout, upgrade traffic signal facilities, replace pavement in the intersection and restripe the intersection.

Update: Pavement work should be completed by the end of July, and new signal equipment and traffic technology will be complete in September, according to an update from Precinct 3.

• Timeline: Completion this fall
• Cost: $1.04 million
• Funding source: Montgomery County road bond

Pet Wants Spring, a new, health-focused store for pets in The Woodlands and Spring areas, will open this fall, owner Chris Reynolds said.

The health and wellness store will focus on improving the lives of pets through fresh, natural, small-batch food, treats, supplements and unique boutique experiences, according to information from the business. 

What they offer: Pet Wants food is crafted fresh and enhanced with vitamins and minerals, according to the business. it can be delivered to the store or to a customer's home.

• Opening Sept. 4
• 26832 I-45 N., Spring

There are several events happening in The Woodlands this weekend July 23-26, including Rock the Row and Moonlight Paddleboat/Swan boat evenings. Events are subject to change.

Movies on the Lawn
The Woodlands Mall will continue its movie night series with a summer night showing of "Bad Guys 2" on the lawn. 

• July 23, 7-9 p.m.
• Free (admission)
• The Courtyard, 1201 Lake Woodlands Drive, The Woodlands

• July 23, 7-9 p.m.
• Free (admission)
• 1900 Hughes Landing Blvd., The Woodlands

• July 24, 8 p.m.
• Pricing varies
• 2005 Lake Robbins Drive, The Woodlands

• July 24, 8:30-9:30 p.m.
• $50 per swan boat (fits up to four people)
• Riva Row Boat House, 2101 Riva Row, The Woodlands

Officials with the National Weather Service issued tropical storm watches for portions of southeast Texas as Tropical Storm Bertha is expected to make landfall by the end of the week.

What we know: Tropical Storm Bertha maintained strength overnight according to data from the NWS, but is still expected to not strengthen beyond a tropical storm before making landfall across Louisiana and Texas. However, officials said the storm itself should not cause significant impact to the region.

NWS officials urged residents along the coast in Brazoria, Chambers and Galveston counties to continue any storm preparations before Bertha makes landfall. The storm watch along the Texas coast is in effect until 6 a.m. July 24 unless it is extended.

In their words: "Bertha will bring scattered showers and thunderstorms through the day, but the threat for excessive rainfall/flash flooding is marginal," NWS officials said in a July 22 news release. "While there is not a storm surge risk, there is a threat of minor coastal flooding."

With large parts of the state under an extreme heat warning or heat advisory through July 23, the operator of Texas’ independent power grid is projecting record-breaking electric demand this week.

What's happening: As of 3 p.m. July 22, there were 90,027 megawatts of demand on the grid with 113,543 megawatts of power available, according to the Electric Reliability Council of Texas' real-time supply and demand dashboard. One megawatt of electricity can power about 250 homes during peak times.

This would break ERCOT’s current demand record of 85.5 gigawatts, which was set during an August 2023 heat wave. ERCOT spokesperson Trudi Webster cautioned that this week’s demand records are preliminary.

What it means: Texans should not expect a grid emergency during this week’s extreme heat.

ERCOT previously projected that demand would surpass 92,000 megawatts this summer, due to high temperatures, moderate rainfall and the growth of data centers.

This week's triple-digit temperatures come during the sunniest parts of the day, allowing the state to rely in part on solar energy to power the grid.