Flash Flood, Val Verde
- When
- February 19, 11:00 PM CST to February 20, 5:30 AM CST
- Where
- Val Verde County, Countwide
- Injuries
- 2 direct, 0 indirect
- Property damage
- $50,000
- Coordinates
- 29.893, -101.152 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Flash Flood in Texas, February 19 to 20, 1997
Widespread flash flooding developed along Johnson's Draw and the Devil's River in response to very heavy rainfall with accumulations of up to 5 inches. Flash flooding began in the city of Del Rio shortly after midnight.
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
- 2
- 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.
Widespread flash flooding developed along Johnson's Draw and the Devil's River in response to very heavy rainfall with accumulations of up to 5 inches. Flash flooding began in the city of Del Rio shortly after midnight. The flooding was severe enough at the Del Rio airport that the early morning upper air weather balloon could not even be launched. One man trapped by the flooding kicked out the windshield of his vehicle in order to escape. Another 4X4 was reported completely under water and washed 200 yards downstream. This gentleman escaped when the pickup momentarily hung up on an island and he was able to swim to safety.
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
- Flash Flood in Iowa, February 19, 1997
- Lightning Strike in Texas, February 19, 1997
- Flash Flood in Texas, February 19, 1997
- Flooding in Nebraska, February 19 to 22, 1997
- Flash Flood in Iowa, February 19 to 20, 1997
- Heavy Rain in Texas, February 19 to 21, 1997
- Winter Storm in Utah, February 19 to 20, 1997
- Heat in New Jersey, February 19 to 22, 1997
- Heat in Pennsylvania, February 19 to 22, 1997
- Heat in Maryland, February 19 to 22, 1997
- Heat in Delaware, February 19 to 22, 1997
- High Wind in Massachusetts, February 19 to 20, 1997
More
Every storm in Texas in 1997Every state in 1997This day in weather historyWarnings in Texas, February 1997
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: 5587877.