Texas, 1997

Flooding in Texas, September 23, 1997

September 23, 1997 · NWS LCH · 2 events in 2 counties and zones

A slow moving cold front stalled across the Golden Traingle region, producing between six and nine inches of rain in some places. The hardest hit areas included Bridge City and Port Arthur, where streets were flooded for several hours.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 2 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

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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
$20,000
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
2

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 LCH wrote it up.

A slow moving cold front stalled across the Golden Traingle region, producing between six and nine inches of rain in some places. The hardest hit areas included Bridge City and Port Arthur, where streets were flooded for several hours. A number of automobile wrecks occurred in the rain, due to slick roadways. Injuries were mostly minor.

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

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Event by event

2 flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Flood, Jefferson

When
September 23, 3:45 PM CST to 8:00 PM CST
Where
Jefferson County, Port Arthur
Property damage
$10,000
Coordinates
29.854, -94.153 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Orange

When
September 23, 3:45 PM CST to 8:00 PM CST
Where
Orange County, Bridge City
Property damage
$10,000
Coordinates
30.121, -93.894 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

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 historyWarnings in Texas, September 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: 5616954, 5616955.