Texas, 1998

Flash Flooding in Texas, March 16, 1998

March 16, 1998 · NWS EWX · 9 events in 9 counties and zones

Between 3 and 4 inches of rain fell over the above counties in just under four hours. Maximum rainfall was in eastern Bandera and eastern Kerr Counties, where 6 inches was reported, and in western Bexar and western Comal Counties, where 5 inches was reported.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 9 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
$138,000
Crop damage
None recorded
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.

What happened

The episode as NWS EWX wrote it up.

Between 3 and 4 inches of rain fell over the above counties in just under four hours. Maximum rainfall was in eastern Bandera and eastern Kerr Counties, where 6 inches was reported, and in western Bexar and western Comal Counties, where 5 inches was reported. In Kerr County, the flash flooding was so widespread and dangerous that two school districts remained closed throughout the day, as up to 70 percent of their school bus routes were impassable due to the damage. Several high water rescues were reported along Leon Creek in the western part of Bexar County, along with abandoned vehicles and several rescues in both Kerr and Kendall Counties. Numerous county roads and Farm-to-Market roads were flooded through the early morning hours in the nine-county area of South Central Texas.

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

9 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Flash Flood, Bandera

When
March 16, 1:00 AM CST to 3:00 AM 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, Bexar

When
March 16, 1:00 AM CST to 3:00 AM CST
Where
Bexar County, Countywide
Property damage
$30,000
Coordinates
29.449, -98.520 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flash Flood, Comal

When
March 16, 1:00 AM CST to 2:30 AM 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, Kendall

When
March 16, 1:00 AM CST to 2:30 AM CST
Where
Kendall County, Countywide
Property damage
$20,000
Coordinates
29.945, -98.712 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flash Flood, Medina

When
March 16, 1:00 AM CST to 3:00 AM CST
Where
Medina County, Countywide
Property damage
$3,000
Coordinates
29.356, -99.110 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flash Flood, Blanco

When
March 16, 1:30 AM CST to 2:30 AM CST
Where
Blanco County, Countywide
Property damage
$15,000
Coordinates
30.266, -98.400 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flash Flood, Burnet

When
March 16, 1:30 AM CST to 2:30 AM CST
Where
Burnet County, Countywide
Property damage
$15,000
Coordinates
30.788, -98.182 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flash Flood, Kerr

When
March 16, 1:30 AM CST to 2:30 AM CST
Where
Kerr County, Countywide
Property damage
$25,000
Coordinates
30.062, -99.350 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flash Flood, Llano

When
March 16, 1:30 AM CST to 2:30 AM CST
Where
Llano County, Countywide
Property damage
$5,000
Coordinates
30.706, -98.684 (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

More

Every storm in Texas in 1998Every state in 1998This day in weather historyWarnings in Texas, March 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: 5633516, 5633517, 5633520, 5633521, 5633524, 5633518, 5633519, 5633522, 5633523.