Flash Flood, Howard
- When
- August 17, 5:00 PM CST to 6:00 PM CST
- Where
- Howard County, 1 mi NE of Big Spring
- Coordinates
- 32.306, -101.435 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Flash Flood in Texas, August 17, 1996
An empty car was swept into a drainage ditch and into a culvert one block away by flooding waters in the streets of Big Spring. Controversy arose when it was found out that local fire fighters refused to assist in rescuing the vehicle before it was taken by the water.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 1 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.
- Tornadoes
- Tropical storms and surge
- Floods
- Wind
- Hail
- Winter weather
- Heat and drought
- Cold
- Fire, smoke and dust
- Marine and coastal
- Other
The toll
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- None recorded
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 1
Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.
What happened
The episode as NWS MAF wrote it up.
An empty car was swept into a drainage ditch and into a culvert one block away by flooding waters in the streets of Big Spring. Controversy arose when it was found out that local fire fighters refused to assist in rescuing the vehicle before it was taken by the water. The fire fighters claimed they were not to attempt such measures with property that could be damaged in a rescue attempt unless lives were at stake. They said they could be held liable for the damages. While the driver was away trying to find other potential assistance, the car was pushed into the ditch.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
1 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.
What these are
- Flash Flood
- Flooding that begins within six hours of the rain that causes it, or of a dam or levee failure or ice jam release, often with deadly speed.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- Lightning Strike in Florida, August 17, 1996
- Lightning Strike in Utah, August 17, 1996
- Lightning Strike in Florida, August 17, 1996
- Wildfire in Colorado, August 17, 1996
- Damaging Wind in Tennessee, August 17, 1996
- Damaging Wind in Oklahoma, August 17, 1996
- Flash Flood in Oklahoma, August 17, 1996
- High Wind in Alaska, August 17, 1996
- Flash Flood in New Mexico, August 17, 1996
- Waterspout in Pennsylvania, August 17, 1996
- Waterspout in Florida, August 17, 1996
- Waterspout in Florida, August 17, 1996
More
Every storm in Texas in 1996Every state in 1996This day in weather historyWarnings in Texas, August 1996
Sources
NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5576482.