Rainfall of up to 8 inches just west of Llano County early in the morning of February 20th produced a very rapid rise and severe flooding along the Llano River. The combination of thunderstorm winds estimated at 40 mph and the wave action on the lake swamped a 16-foot flat bottom boat with two fishermen on Lake Buchanan near 330 pm on the 20th.
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.
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.
The episode as NWS EWX wrote it up.
Rainfall of up to 8 inches just west of Llano County early in the morning of February 20th produced a very rapid rise and severe flooding along the Llano River. The combination of thunderstorm winds estimated at 40 mph and the wave action on the lake swamped a 16-foot flat bottom boat with two fishermen on Lake Buchanan near 330 pm on the 20th. The two were attempting to move toward shore as the rain became heavier. The Llano crested at 28.8 feet, 178,000 cfs, just under the crest of the severe flood the previous October. This flooding caused major damage to marine and lakeside facilities in Lake LBJ and downstream. Some marine owners received several hundred thousand dollars of damages as the momentum of the fast moving water carried docks, marinas, and boats downstream. Some stories were heartbreaking because the facility owners were repairing the massive damages created by last October's flood.
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 flood. Local standard time, as filed.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flood, Llano | 1997-02-20 | 61 | Male | Boat | Direct |
| Flood, Llano | 1997-02-20 | 68 | Male | Boat | Direct |
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Texas in 1997Every state in 1997This day in weather historyWarnings in Texas, February 1997
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: 5587882.