Flash Flooding in Texas, August 22, 1998

Name: Flash Flooding in Texas, August 22, 1998
Start: 1998-08-22T05:00
End: 1998-08-22T23:00
Location: Texas

August 22, 1998 · NWS EWX · 14 events in 14 counties and zones

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 14 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: $280,000
Crop damage: $295,000
Events: 14

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.

Tropical Storm Charley made landfall near Port Aransas the night of Friday, August 21st. With very light winds through the mid and upper atmosphere and extremely high preciptable water values, the stage had been set for an extended heavy rainfall event. Initially, Charley moved westward near 30 kts during the day on Saturday, and initially produced the heavies rain in its northeast quadrant. Rainfall rates through the morning and into the afternoon were generally between 1 and 2 inches per hour. As the storm center approached the Hill Country area west of San Antonio Saturday afternoon, it began to slow and stall. To this point, rain totals of between 3 and 6 inches had been received over much of South Central Texas, but flooding problems had been limited mainly to flash flooding over low water crossings along secondary roads. Damage was generally confined to roads and crops in the fields.

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

14 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Flash Flood, Lavaca

When: August 22, 5:00 AM CST to 7:00 AM CST
Where: Lavaca County, Countywide
Property damage: $30,000
Crop damage: $50,000
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 29.384, -96.930 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flash Flood, De Witt

When: August 22, 7:00 AM CST to 9:00 AM CST
Where: De Witt County, Countywide
Property damage: $30,000
Crop damage: $50,000
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 29.082, -97.357 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flash Flood, Karnes

When: August 22, 7:00 AM CST to 9:00 AM CST
Where: Karnes County, Countywide
Property damage: $20,000
Crop damage: $30,000
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 28.906, -97.859 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flash Flood, Bexar

When: August 22, 7:30 AM CST to 4:00 PM CST
Where: Bexar County, Countywide
Property damage: $50,000
Crop damage: $10,000
Reported by: EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates: 29.449, -98.520 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flash Flood, Atascosa

When: August 22, 10:00 AM CST to 1:00 PM CST
Where: Atascosa County, Countywide
Property damage: $20,000
Crop damage: $20,000
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 28.894, -98.527 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flash Flood, Guadalupe

When: August 22, 10:00 AM CST to 4:00 PM CST
Where: Guadalupe County, Countywide
Property damage: $20,000
Crop damage: $20,000
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 29.583, -97.949 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flash Flood, Wilson

When: August 22, 10:00 AM CST to 12:00 PM CST
Where: Wilson County, Countywide
Property damage: $20,000
Crop damage: $15,000
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 29.174, -98.087 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flash Flood, Medina

When: August 22, 12:00 PM CST to 2:00 PM CST
Where: Medina County, Countywide
Property damage: $10,000
Crop damage: $20,000
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 29.356, -99.110 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flash Flood, Gonzales

When: August 22, 1:00 PM CST to 5:00 PM CST
Where: Gonzales County, Countywide
Property damage: $10,000
Crop damage: $20,000
Reported by: EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates: 29.457, -97.492 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flash Flood, Comal

When: August 22, 1:00 PM CST to 3:00 PM CST
Where: Comal County, Countywide
Property damage: $20,000
Crop damage: $10,000
Reported by: EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates: 29.808, -98.278 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flash Flood, Kendall

When: August 22, 1:00 PM CST to 3:00 PM CST
Where: Kendall County, Countywide
Property damage: $10,000
Crop damage: $20,000
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 29.945, -98.712 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flash Flood, Hays

When: August 22, 3:00 PM CST to 6:00 PM CST
Where: Hays County, Countywide
Property damage: $20,000
Crop damage: $10,000
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 30.058, -98.031 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flash Flood, Bandera

When: August 22, 4:00 PM CST to 11:00 PM CST
Where: Bandera County, Countywide
Property damage: $10,000
Crop damage: $10,000
Reported by: EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates: 29.747, -99.246 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flash Flood, Kerr

When: August 22, 4:00 PM CST to 9:00 PM CST
Where: Kerr County, Countywide
Property damage: $10,000
Crop damage: $10,000
Reported by: FIRE DEPT/RESCUE SQUAD
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 1998 Every state in 1998 This day in weather history Warnings in Texas, August 1998

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: 5666561, 5666562, 5666563, 5666564, 5666565, 5666566, 5666567, 5666568, 5666569, 5666570, 5666571, 5666572, 5666573, 5666574.