Flash Flood, Gillespie
- When
- December 15, 3:30 AM CST to 5:00 AM CST
- Where
- Gillespie County, Central Portion
- Injuries
- 1 direct, 0 indirect
- Property damage
- $50,000
- Coordinates
- 30.318, -98.946 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Flash Flood in Texas, December 15, 1996
Almost 5 inches of rain fell across much of Gillespie County late on the evening of the 14th and through the early morning of the 15th. This rainfall caused flash flooding along the Pedernales River as well as across much of central Gillespie County.
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
- 1
- Property damage
- $50,000
- 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 EWX wrote it up.
Almost 5 inches of rain fell across much of Gillespie County late on the evening of the 14th and through the early morning of the 15th. This rainfall caused flash flooding along the Pedernales River as well as across much of central Gillespie County. A deputy sheriff was trapped in his vehicle by rapidly rising water as he attempted to assist an ambulance. The flash flood lifted the car off the road and carried it downstream. The deputy was unable to push the door open against the rising water and the electric windows would not operate. He was finally able to escape as the car spun, decreasing pressure on the door. By that time, water had already risen inside the car to chin level. The deputy swam to shore and was treated for minor injuries.
The radar
The Austin/San Antonio radar (KEWX), 112 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 09:29 UTC.
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
- Tornado in Louisiana, December 15, 1996
- Heavy Snow in Michigan, December 15, 1996
- Winter Storm in Colorado, December 15 to 16, 1996
- Heavy Snow in Montana, December 15 to 16, 1996
- High Wind in Montana, December 15, 1996
- High Wind in Montana, December 15, 1996
- Flood in New Jersey, December 15 to 16, 1996
- High Wind in Colorado, December 15 to 16, 1996
- Winter Storm in Colorado, December 15 to 16, 1996
More
Every storm in Texas in 1996Every state in 1996This day in weather historyWarnings in Texas, December 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: 5581223.