Flash Flood, McLennan
- When
- September 18, 4:00 PM CST to 5:00 PM CST
- Where
- McLennan County, Waco
- Deaths
- 1 direct, 0 indirect
- Coordinates
- 31.552, -97.202 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Flash Flood in Texas, September 18, 1996
A young boy was pulled unconscious from Waco Creek after being swept away by an eight foot flood bore produced by locally heavy rain in the area. The boy was in the water for nearly an hour and suffered major brain damage from lack of oxygen.
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
- 1
- 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 FWD wrote it up.
A young boy was pulled unconscious from Waco Creek after being swept away by an eight foot flood bore produced by locally heavy rain in the area. The boy was in the water for nearly an hour and suffered major brain damage from lack of oxygen. He was pronounced dead on arrival at the hospital but was revived. After being in a coma for two days, the boy finally succumbed to the major injuries he had received in the drowning.
The radar
The Ft Hood radar (KGRK), 94 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 21:59 UTC.
Event by event
1 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.
The people who died
As the offices recorded each death: direct deaths were caused by the weather itself, indirect ones by something it set in motion.
| Event | Date | Age | Sex | Where | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood, McLennan | 1996-09-20 | 13 | Male | In Water | Direct |
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
- Flash Flood in Texas, September 18 to 19, 1996
- Flash Flood in Texas, September 18, 1996
- Coastal Flood in Maine, September 18, 1996
- Heavy Rain in Texas, September 18, 1996
- Damaging Wind in Texas, September 18, 1996
- Damaging Wind in Kansas, September 18, 1996
- Damaging Wind in Kansas, September 18, 1996
- Flash Flood in Texas, September 18, 1996
- Damaging Wind in Texas, September 18, 1996
- Flash Flood in Texas, September 18, 1996
- Lightning Strike in Nebraska, September 18, 1996
- Heavy Snow in Colorado, September 18, 1996
More
Every storm in Texas in 1996Every state in 1996This day in weather historyWarnings in Texas, September 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: 5564128.