Tornado and Flash Flooding in Texas, January 4, 1998

Name: Tornado and Flash Flooding in Texas, January 4, 1998
Start: 1998-01-04T20:00
End: 1998-01-04T23:30
Location: Texas

January 4, 1998 · NWS FWD · 6 events in 3 counties and zones

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

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 3 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: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 6

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 Dallas/Ft Worth radar (KFWS), 92 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 01:58 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

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

Hail, Bosque

When: January 4, 8:00 PM CST
Where: Bosque County, Clifton
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Coordinates: 31.780, -97.580

Flash Flood, Erath

When: January 4, 8:20 PM CST to 10:00 PM CST
Where: Erath County, Stephenville
Coordinates: 32.236, -98.218 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

A vehicle was washed into the Bosque River by flood waters.

Thunderstorm Wind, Erath

When: January 4, 8:26 PM CST
Where: Erath County, Stephenville
Measured: 52 kt (60 mph)
Coordinates: 32.230, -98.200

Tornado, Falls

When: January 4, 8:59 PM CST to 9:01 PM CST
Where: Falls County, 2 mi N of Chilton
Rating: F0
Path length: 0.1 mi
Path width: 30 yd
Coordinates: 31.320, -97.070

A brief tornado touchdown was reported.

Flash Flood, Falls

When: January 4, 9:54 PM CST to 11:00 PM CST
Where: Falls County, Lott
Coordinates: 31.253, -96.936 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Highway 320 was flooded and closed.

Flash Flood, Falls

When: January 4, 10:00 PM CST to 11:30 PM CST
Where: Falls County, Marlin
Coordinates: 31.253, -96.936 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Many roads were flooded. Several motorists were stranded in flood waters.

What these are

Hail: Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.
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.
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.
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.

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 The tornado archive for Texas, 1998 Warnings in Texas, January 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: 5631599, 5631600, 5631601, 5631602, 5631603, 5631604.