Tropical Storm and Flash Flooding in Texas, June 5 to 7, 2001

Name: Tropical Storm and Flash Flooding in Texas, June 5 to 7, 2001
Start: 2001-06-05T16:00
End: 2001-06-07T21:00
Location: Texas

June 5 to 7, 2001 · NWS LCH · 9 events in 5 counties and zones

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 7 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: $11 million
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 LCH wrote it up.

Tropical Storm Allison caused minor problems along coastal sections of southeast Texas, but eventually resulted in catstrophic flood losses further inland. Wind gusts of 30 to 40 mph resulted in minor roof damage to less than ten homes along the coast in Jefferson County between the evening of June 5th and the early morning hours of June 6th. A two foot storm surge resulted in minor beach erosion and portions of Highway 82 between Sabine Pass and Port Arthur to go under water during high tide during the nighttime high tide of June 5th to 6th. The specific flood events that occurred between June 7th and 9th were a result of the remnants of Tropical Storm Allison, as it meandered across southeast and east Texas.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Lake Charles, LA wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jun 5, 2:20 PM CST, 1 hour 40 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jun 5, 2:20 PM CST, 1 hour 40 minutes before

SOUTHEAST TEXAS AND SOUTHWEST LOUISIANA FORECAST DISCUSSION...CORRECTED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES LA
320 PM CDT TUE JUN 5 2001

**CORRECTED ZONES TO REMOVE MENTION OF COASTAL FLOODING (T.S.
WARNING SUPERCEDES CFW). ALSO REMOVED MENTION OF T.S. WARNING FROM
NON-COASTAL ZONES.**

ALL MODELS APPEAR TO BE WELL INITIALIZED COMPARED TO THIS MORNING/S
UPPER AIR OBSERVATIONS AND SATELLITE IMAGERY. THE AVN IS THE
PREFERRED MODEL THIS FORECAST CYCLE.

ACCORDING TO AVN...LOW PRESSURE TROPICAL STORM CENTER IN GULF SHOULD
MOVE INTO SOUTHEAST TEXAS BY MIDNIGHT TONIGHT INTO NORTH LOUISIANA BY
MID DAY WEDNESDAY LEAVING A LOW PRESSURE TROUGH SOUTHWEST FROM LOW
ACROSS SOUTHEAST TEXAS WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON. TROUGH SHOULD PROGRESS
SOUTHEAST OVER ALL BUT THE EASTERN EXTREMES OF THE AREA BY LATE IN
THE DAY THURSDAY. TROUGH SHOULD BE EAST OF THE AREA BY EARLY FRIDAY
MORNING ALLOWING HIGH PRESSURE TO BUILD INTO THE AREA. ATMOSPHERE
WILL REMAIN MOIST AND UNSTABLE ALONG AND AHEAD OF SURFACE TROUGH.

HEAVIEST RAINS SHOULD BE MAINLY OVER EASTERN PORTIONS OF THE AREA
BUT WILL ISSUE FLOOD WATCH FOR THE ENTIRE AREA FOR TONIGHT AND
WEDNESDAY MORNING. THERE IS ALSO A POSSIBILITY OF SEVERE WEATHER
MAINLY SHORT-LIVED TORNADOES OR HIGH WIND GUST SO FORECAST WILL
MENTION THREAT OF SEVERE WEATHER FOR TONIGHT AND WEDNESDAY.

.LCH...TROPICAL STORM WARNING MORGAN CITY WESTWARD.
    ...FLOOD WATCH ENTIRE AREA TONIGHT AND WEDNESDAY MORNING.

.PRELIMINARY NUMBERS...
AEX 74/82/73/83/70 ++453
BPT 74/82/73/83/72 ++453
LCH 73/81/73/83/72 ++453
LFT 72/82/73/83/72 ++453

20 / SPARKS
LGE

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Jun 5, 10:45 AM CST, 5 hours 15 minutes before

GMZ450-455-470-475-LAZ027>033-041>045-051>055-TXZ180>182-201-215-216-
052200-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES LA
1145 AM CDT TUE JUN 5 2001

...STRONG TROPICAL DISTURBANCE IN THE NORTHWEST GULF...
...COASTAL FLOOD WARNING...

A STRONG TROPICAL DISTURBANCE WAS LOCATED ABOUT 150 TO 200 MILES
SOUTH OF THE LOUISIANA/TEXAS BORDER LATE THIS MORNING. THIS SYSTEM
WAS MOVING NORTH AT NEARLY 10 MPH. AT THE PRESENT...THERE IS NO
CIRCULATION AT THE SURFACE. IF A CIRCULATION IS DETECTED...THIS
DISTURBANCE WILL BE UPGRADED TO A TROPICAL DEPRESSION OR TROPICAL
STORM.

A HURRICANE HUNTER AIRCRAFT IS INVESTIGATING THIS SYSTEM AT THIS
TIME.

LOCAL IMPACTS WITH THIS SYSTEM...

WIND...
SHIP AND BUOY REPORTS HAVE INDICATED SUSTAINED WINDS OF 40 TO 45
KNOTS (NEAR 50 MPH) WITH GUSTS TO 60 KNOTS (NEAR 70 MPH) OVER THE
NORTHWEST GULF. AS THESE SQUALLS MOVE OVER COASTAL WATERS AND
THE COAST...MARINERS AND RESIDENTS CAN EXPECT WIND GUSTS IN EXCESS OF
40 KNOTS (45 MPH.) THESE WINDS COULD KNOCK DOWN SOME TREE
LIMBS.

TIDES...
THIS MORNING...CAMERON SHERIFF DEPARTMENT REPORTS DEBRIS ACROSS
HIGHWAY 82. THIS IS DUE TO THE COMBINATION OF RISING TIDES AND
LARGE WAVE ACTION. AS THE SYSTEM IN THE GULF DEVELOPS...TIDES AND
WAVE HEIGHTS WILL CONTINUE TO RISE CAUSING BEACH EROSION AND FLOODING
OF COASTAL AREAS.

HIGH TIDE TIMES...

CAMERON...212 PM THIS AFTERNOON
          502 AM WEDNESDAY

SABINE PASS...223 PM THIS AFTERNOON
              602 AM WEDNESDAY

RAINFALL...
AS THE SYSTEM CONTINUES TO MOVE SLOWLY TO THE NORTH...HEAVY RAIN
BANDS WILL MOVE NORTHWARD FROM THE COAST. RAINFALL AMOUNTS OF 3 TO 5
INCHES WILL BE POSSIBLE BY WEDNESDAY MORNING. AT THIS TIME...RIVER
LEVELS WILL RISE TO NEAR FLOOD STAGE.

BASIN WIDE RAINFALL AMOUNTS IN EXCESS OF 5 INCHES...ALONG WITH WATER
PILING ALONG THE COAST FROM RISING TIDES...COULD PUT PORTIONS OF THE
LOWER NECHES...LOWER SABINE...AND LOWER CALCASIEU RIVERS INTO FLOOD
STAGE. ALSO...THESE RAINFALL AMOUNTS WILL BRING THE POTENTIAL FOR
FLOODING OF STREETS AND LOW LYING URBAN AREAS.

FORECAST...
THIS SYSTEM IS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE TO MOVE TO THE NORTH OR
NORTHEAST AT 10 MPH AND INTO THE BORDER AREA OF SOUTHEAST
TEXAS/SOUTHWEST LOUISIANA ON WEDNESDAY. ALSO...IF A LOW LEVEL
CIRCULATION DOES DEVELOP...THE POTENTIAL EXISTS FOR THE SYSTEM TO
STRENGTHEN QUICKLY.

ALL INTERESTS IN SOUTHEDAST TEXAS...AS WELL AS...SOUTHWEST...SOUTH
CENTRAL...AND CENTRAL LOUISIANA SHOULD CONTINUE TO MONITOR THIS
TROPICAL WEATHER SITUATION. FURTHER STATEMENTS OR ADVISORIES WILL BE
ISSUED LATER THIS AFTERNOON.

RUA

The radar

The Lake Charles radar (KLCH), 95 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 09:31 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

7 flash flood, 2 tropical storm. Local standard time, as filed.

Tropical Storm, Jefferson

When: June 5, 4:00 PM CST to June 6, 12:00 AM CST
Where: Jefferson forecast zone
Reported by: NWS STORM SURVEY

Tropical Storm, Orange

When: June 5, 4:00 PM CST to June 6, 12:00 AM CST
Where: Orange forecast zone
Reported by: NWS STORM SURVEY

Flash Flood, Jefferson

When: June 7, 3:30 AM CST to 9:00 AM CST
Where: Jefferson County, Beaumont
Property damage: $10 million
Reported by: NWS STORM SURVEY
Coordinates: 29.854, -94.153 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Around ten inches of rain fell in less than six hours, resulting in widespread flooding across northern Jefferson County, including the metropolitan area of Beaumont. Many people awoke to see flood waters in their homes, vehicles, and businesses. Nearly 900 homes were damaged, but only 10 were classified as destroyed. Roads and bridges also received some damage from the flood waters.

Flash Flood, Hardin

When: June 7, 4:00 AM CST to 7:00 AM CST
Where: Hardin County, Lumberton
Property damage: $500,000
Reported by: NWS STORM SURVEY
Coordinates: 30.332, -94.390 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Southern sections of Hardin County received between six and ten inches of rain in less than six hours, resulting in almost 40 homes flooded in rural portions of the Sour Lake to Lumberton area.

Flash Flood, Jasper

When: June 7, 4:00 AM CST to 7:00 AM CST
Where: Jasper County, Buna
Property damage: $500,000
Reported by: NWS STORM SURVEY
Coordinates: 30.744, -94.025 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

One home was flooded in the Buna area, but significant street and bridge damage occurred across portions of Jasper County as a result of nearly ten inches of rain in less than six hours.

Flash Flood, Newton

When: June 7, 4:00 AM CST to 7:00 AM CST
Where: Newton County, Deweyville
Property damage: $50,000
Reported by: NWS STORM SURVEY
Coordinates: 30.786, -93.745 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Mainly street and bridge damage occurred in southern sections of Newton County as a result of nearly ten inches of rain in less than ten hours.

Flash Flood, Orange

When: June 7, 4:00 AM CST to 9:00 AM CST
Where: Orange County, Vidor
Property damage: $250,000
Reported by: NWS STORM SURVEY
Coordinates: 30.121, -93.894 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Nearly 20 homes were damaged in rural sections of Orange County, mainly north of Vidor, after ten inches of rain fell in less than six hours. Some roads and bridges were also damaged.

Flash Flood, Jasper

When: June 7, 8:00 PM CST to 9:00 PM CST
Where: Jasper County, Jasper
Property damage: $20,000
Reported by: NWS STORM SURVEY
Coordinates: 30.744, -94.025 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Around five inches of rain fell in less than an hour, resulting in deep water over Highway 96 on the north side of Jasper. Minor damage to the road occurred.

Flash Flood, Newton

When: June 7, 8:00 PM CST to 9:00 PM CST
Where: Newton County, Newton
Property damage: $20,000
Reported by: NWS STORM SURVEY
Coordinates: 30.786, -93.745 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Around five inches of rain fell in less than one hour, resulting in deep water across highways north and west of Newton. Minor road damage did occur.

What these are

Tropical Storm: A tropical cyclone with sustained winds of 34 to 63 knots (39 to 73 mph).
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 2001 Every state in 2001 This day in weather history Warnings in Texas, June 2001 The 2001 hurricane season

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: 5255250, 5255251, 5255243, 5255244, 5255245, 5255246, 5255247, 5255248, 5255249.