ACR B737 FLC ENCOUNTER WX AND DEVIATE. APCH CTLR TRYING TO MAINTAIN TFC FLOW CHALLENGES PLT AND TELLS HIM TO 'FLY THROUGH IT' OR DECLARE AN EMER. PLT DECLARES EMER; DSNDS AROUND WX; CHANGES FREQ TO FINAL CTLR; AVOIDS OTHER TFC AND LANDS.

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WHILE DOING THE STRUK 8 ARR INTO HOUSTON HOBBY; WE DEVIATED; WITH ATC APPROVAL; W OF THE RWY 12R LOC. WE WERE AVOIDING A SEVERE TSTM. THE CTLR WAS VERY BUSY. SEVERAL ACFT WERE TRYING TO ASK FOR WX DEVS WHEN THE CTLR STATED I HAVE A LOT OF ACFT ON FREQ 'IF YOU ARE CALLING FOR WX DEVS JUST FLY THROUGH IT.' ON JUL/WED/98; HOU APCH CTLR ADVISED US TO TURN TO A HDG OF 110 DEGS AND INTERCEPT THE HOBBY RWY 12R LOC. THIS HEADING WOULD HAVE FORCED US TO FLY THROUGH THE HEART OF A LARGE TSTM THAT WE WERE ON A HEADING TO AVOID. WE ADVISED UNABLE. WE WOULD TAKE LOWER; R TURN OR WHATEVER THE CTLR NEEDED; BUT WE WERE UNABLE 110 DEGS. THE CTLR ADVISED TFC WAS ON OUR R; TURN L TO HDG 110 DEGS NOW OR DECLARE AN EMER. WE DECLARED AN EMER TO AVOID THE SEVERE TSTM AND PROTECT THE SAFETY OF THE FLT. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 408480: THE NEXT CTLR WAS VERY BUSY AND TOLD ALL ACFT THAT WERE ASKING FOR DEV AROUND WX TO JUST FLY THROUGH IT. WE WERE ALREADY DEVIATING AROUND THE WX BUT I ASKED FOR LOWER TO AVOID BEING JUST BELOW THE CLOUD BASES. THE CTLR REPLIED 'UNABLE.' SHORTLY THEREAFTER THIS CTLR INSTRUCTED US TO FLY A 110 DEG HDG AND JOIN THE LOC. THIS WOULD HAVE PUT US INTO THE HEART OF THE CELL WE HAD BEEN AVOIDING BY THE DEV. HE ADVISED THAT WE HAD TFC ON OUR R AND THAT WE COULD EITHER FLY A 110 DEG HDG TO JOIN THE LOC OR DECLARE AN EMER. I RESPONDED WITH 'OK; I AM DECLARING AN EMER.' HE RESPONDED WITH 'CONTACT APCH ON...' WE HELD OUR HEADING AND CONTACTED THE FINAL APCH CTLR. I TOLD HIM WE WERE DEVIATING FOR WX. THIS CTLR INSTRUCTED US TO HURRY DOWN TO 2000 FT AND JOIN THE LOC WHEN ABLE. WE CALLED THE ARPT IN SIGHT AND GOT A VISUAL APCH TO AVOID RAIN NEAR THE MARKER.