Flash Flooding in Texas, June 21, 1997

Name: Flash Flooding in Texas, June 21, 1997
Start: 1997-06-21T05:30
End: 1997-06-21T23:00
Location: Texas

June 21, 1997 · NWS EWX · 19 events in 19 counties and zones

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 19 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

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: $178,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 19

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.

On Friday, June 20, 1997, an upper level low pressure area approached South Central Texas from the southwest, becoming nearly stationary over the area through the next evening. Scattered showers and thunderstorms developed over the Texas Hill Country Friday night, and continued into early Saturday morning. Widespread flash flooding developed by Saturday morning across the Hill Country. During the day on Saturday, the rain spread eastward across much of South Central Texas with widespread flash flooding continuing into the evening hours on Saturday. In spite of this being the first day of summer, daytime highs over the area remained much below normal.

The radar

The Laughlin AFB radar (KDFX), 122 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 11:28 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

19 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Flash Flood, Frio

When: June 21, 5:30 AM CST to 10:00 AM CST
Where: Frio County, Countywide
Property damage: $3,000
Coordinates: 28.868, -99.108 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flash Flood, Atascosa

When: June 21, 7:00 AM CST to 9:00 AM CST
Where: Atascosa County, Countywide
Property damage: $3,000
Coordinates: 28.894, -98.527 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flash Flood, Bexar

When: June 21, 7:00 AM CST to 8:00 PM CST
Where: Bexar County, Countywide
Property damage: $25,000
Coordinates: 29.449, -98.520 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flash Flood, Guadalupe

When: June 21, 8:45 AM CST to 9:00 PM CST
Where: Guadalupe County, Countywide
Property damage: $25,000
Coordinates: 29.583, -97.949 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flash Flood, Gonzales

When: June 21, 8:45 AM CST to 11:00 AM CST
Where: Gonzales County, Countywide
Property damage: $3,000
Coordinates: 29.457, -97.492 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flash Flood, Wilson

When: June 21, 9:00 AM CST to 11:00 AM CST
Where: Wilson County, Countywide
Property damage: $3,000
Coordinates: 29.174, -98.087 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flash Flood, De Witt

When: June 21, 10:00 AM CST to 9:00 PM CST
Where: De Witt County, Countywide
Property damage: $15,000
Coordinates: 29.082, -97.357 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flash Flood, Karnes

When: June 21, 10:00 AM CST to 11:00 AM CST
Where: Karnes County, Countywide
Property damage: $3,000
Coordinates: 28.906, -97.859 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flash Flood, Bandera

When: June 21, 10:00 AM CST to 9:00 PM CST
Where: Bandera County, Countywide
Property damage: $10,000
Coordinates: 29.747, -99.246 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flash Flood, Medina

When: June 21, 10:00 AM CST to 5:00 PM CST
Where: Medina County, Countywide
Property damage: $10,000
Coordinates: 29.356, -99.110 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flash Flood, Blanco

When: June 21, 10:30 AM CST to 11:00 PM CST
Where: Blanco County, Countywide
Property damage: $10,000
Coordinates: 30.266, -98.400 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flash Flood, Comal

When: June 21, 10:30 AM CST to 11:00 PM CST
Where: Comal County, Countywide
Property damage: $15,000
Coordinates: 29.808, -98.278 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flash Flood, Hays

When: June 21, 10:30 AM CST to 1:00 PM CST
Where: Hays County, Countywide
Property damage: $5,000
Coordinates: 30.058, -98.031 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flash Flood, Kendall

When: June 21, 10:30 AM CST to 11:00 PM CST
Where: Kendall County, Countywide
Property damage: $15,000
Coordinates: 29.945, -98.712 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flash Flood, Bastrop

When: June 21, 11:00 AM CST to 1:00 PM CST
Where: Bastrop County, Countywide
Property damage: $5,000
Coordinates: 30.104, -97.312 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flash Flood, Caldwell

When: June 21, 11:00 AM CST to 12:00 PM CST
Where: Caldwell County, Countywide
Property damage: $3,000
Coordinates: 29.837, -97.620 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flash Flood, Lavaca

When: June 21, 12:30 PM CST to 4:00 PM CST
Where: Lavaca County, Countywide
Property damage: $5,000
Coordinates: 29.384, -96.930 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flash Flood, Gillespie

When: June 21, 12:30 PM CST to 11:00 PM CST
Where: Gillespie County, Countywide
Property damage: $15,000
Coordinates: 30.318, -98.946 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flash Flood, Kerr

When: June 21, 1:30 PM CST to 11:00 PM CST
Where: Kerr County, Countywide
Property damage: $5,000
Coordinates: 30.062, -99.350 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

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

Every storm in Texas in 1997 Every state in 1997 This day in weather history Warnings in Texas, June 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: 5608029, 5608030, 5608031, 5608032, 5608033, 5608034, 5608035, 5608036, 5608037, 5608038, 5608039, 5608040, 5608041, 5608042, 5608043, 5608044, 5608045, 5608046, 5608129.