Texas, 1997

Tornado and Flash Flooding in Texas, June 8 to 12, 1997

June 8 to 12, 1997 · NWS SJT · 9 events in 6 counties and zones

4 flash flood, 2 thunderstorm wind, 1 hail, 1 tornado, 1 flood, as filed by the National Weather Service.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 5 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
$730,000
Crop damage
$275,000
Events
9

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 radar

The San Angelo radar (KSJT), 29 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 15:33 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

4 flash flood, 2 thunderstorm wind, 1 hail, 1 tornado, 1 flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Tom Green

When
June 8, 9:35 AM CST
Where
Tom Green County, Carlsbad
Measured
52 kt (60 mph)
Coordinates
31.600, -100.630

Flash Flood, Nolan

When
June 8, 10:15 AM CST to 3:00 PM CST
Where
Nolan County, Sweetwater
Property damage
$50,000
Crop damage
$25,000
Coordinates
32.304, -100.406 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Street flooding occurred on the south side of Sweetwater while Highway 70 just north of the town was flooded. About two to four inches of rain fell but some nearby locations received much more. Farm Road 1170 between Mayneal and Blackwell was more than six feet under water from nine inches of rain.

Flash Flood, Tom Green

When
June 8, 10:25 AM CST to 11:30 AM CST
Where
Tom Green County, San Angelo
Property damage
$10,000
Coordinates
31.404, -100.462 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flooding occurred on Main and Pulliam streets in downtown San Angelo.

Flash Flood, Taylor

When
June 8, 10:30 AM CST to 11:00 PM CST
Where
Taylor County, Abilene
Property damage
$500,000
Crop damage
$200,000
Coordinates
32.301, -99.890 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Torrential rain, up to three inches an hour, in northern Taylor County flooded service roads along Interstate 20 in Abilene. Many city streets were flooded with stalled cars in the floodwaters. Elm Creek, which flows through Abilene was high and wide with large trees floating down the creek. South of the city, water flowed over the spillway at Lake Abilene and Abilene State Park was evacuated. In nearby Buffalo Gap, floodwaters entered some homes.

Hail, Runnels

When
June 8, 1:44 PM CST
Where
Runnels County, 2 mi N of Winters
Measured
0.88 in hail
Coordinates
32.000, -99.950

Flash Flood, Mitchell

When
June 8, 2:45 PM CST to 3:45 PM CST
Where
Mitchell County, Colorado City
Property damage
$10,000
Coordinates
32.306, -100.921 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Interstate 20 and HIghway 208 were flooded in and around Colorado City. Several wrecks were attributed to the rain.

Thunderstorm Wind, Schleicher

When
June 8, 5:40 PM CST
Where
Schleicher County, Eldorado
Measured
52 kt (60 mph)
Property damage
$25,000
Crop damage
$10,000
Coordinates
30.850, -100.620

Winds blew down large tree branches in the town of Eldorado.

Tornado, Schleicher

When
June 8, 5:45 PM CST to 5:50 PM CST
Where
Schleicher County, 3 mi E of Eldorado
Rating
F1
Path length
0.1 mi
Path width
15 yd
Property damage
$35,000
Crop damage
$20,000
Coordinates
30.850, -100.570

Brief tornado touchdown. Trees uprooted.

Flood, Mitchell

When
June 8, 8:00 PM CST to June 12, 6:00 AM CST
Where
Mitchell forecast zone
Property damage
$100,000
Crop damage
$20,000
Coordinates
32.306, -100.921 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

An upper level low pressure system was moving slowly eastward out of Arizona into New Mexico during the early morning of the 8th. Several upper level disturbances were rotating around this feature into west Texas. Deep tropical moisture remained over the region with precipitable water values well above normal. Thunderstorms moved into the Texas Big Country before noon. As these storms moved eastward, they formed into a slow-moving squall line producing very heavy rainfall over already saturated soils.The Colorado River at Colorado City rose above flood stage during the night of the 8th and crested just over 14 feet (flood stage is eight feet) on the 10th.

What these are

Thunderstorm Wind
Winds from a thunderstorm of 50 knots (58 mph) or more, or lower winds that caused damage or casualties. Measured gusts are marked MG, estimated EG.
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.
Hail
Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.
Tornado
A violently rotating column of air in contact with the ground and extending from a thunderstorm, filed with its path, width and Fujita or Enhanced Fujita rating from the damage survey.
Flood
Flooding that develops more slowly than a flash flood: rivers leaving their banks, or water standing over land for an extended time.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Texas in 1997Every state in 1997This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for Texas, 1997Warnings 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: 5601859, 5601860, 5601866, 5601861, 5601862, 5601863, 5601864, 5601865, 5601979.