Texas, 2001

Flash Flood in Texas, May 20, 2001

May 20, 2001 · NWS EWX · 1 event in 1 county or zone

Very brief flash flooding resulted from rainfall of nearly 2 inches in just over one hour in western Travis County. Several high water rescue were made as people were trapped in vehicles by the flood waters.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 1 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
5
Property damage
$60,000
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
1

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.

Very brief flash flooding resulted from rainfall of nearly 2 inches in just over one hour in western Travis County. Several high water rescue were made as people were trapped in vehicles by the flood waters.

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 Austin/San Antonio, TX wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at May 20, 1:15 PM CST, 7 hours 15 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 20, 1:15 PM CST, 7 hours 15 minutes before
SOUTH CENTRAL TEXAS FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AUSTIN/SAN ANTONIO TX
215 PM CDT SUN MAY 20 2001

AFTER A BRIEF STINT WITH SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS TOMORROW...A COLD
FRONT WILL USHER IN COOLER AND MUCH DRIER AIR...WITH THE GULF OF
MEXICO FLOW BEING SHUT OFF FOR MOST OF THE WEEK.  THE EXTENDED HAS A
GOOD RETURN FLOW OF MOISTURE BY NEXT SUNDAY.

WE ARE POTENTIALLY VERY UNSTABLE ALOFT WITH THE LATEST GOES CAPE
INDEX SHOWING CAPES OF 3000-5000.  HOWEVER...WE ARE JUST NOW
CLEARING ACROSS THE EASTERN PORTIONS OF SOUTH CENTRAL TEXAS AND
VISUAL CLUES OF GOOD SUBSIDENCE OCCURRING (VISIBILITIES LOWERING IN
HAZE). WITH LITTLE IN WAY OF FOCUS OR POSITIVE DYNAMICS ALOFT...
WILL ONLY PLACE ISOLATED SHOWERS OR THUNDERSTORMS WEST TONIGHT...
WHERE DRY LINE SET UP WILL BE.

MODELS HAVE BEEN VERY CONSISTENT IN BRINGING IN A GOOD COLD FRONT
AROUND MIDDAY MONDAY...AND THIS CONTINUES THE CASE.  A BRIEF SHOT AT
SOME SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ALONG THE FRONT WITH GOOD LOW LEVEL
FORCING. THE TIME OF DAY PRECLUDES US FROM GOING ANY HIGHER THAN 30
PERCENT AT PRESENT.  SOME CYCLOGENESIS ALONG THE COASTLINE MONDAY
NIGHT WILL FORCE US TO CONTINUE WITH LOW POPS (MOSTLY LIGHT RAIN OR
SHOWERS) OVER THE SOUTH CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST ZONES TOMORROW NIGHT.

MASSIVE VORTEX DEVELOPING ACROSS UPPER MIDWEST INTO THE NORTHEAST
U.S. BY MIDWEEK KEEPS AREA DRY AND A LITTLE COOLER THAN NORMAL.
SECONDARY WAVE PUSHES IN LATE THURSDAY WITH A FEW MORE CLOUDS AND A
REINFORCEMENT OF COOL AIR.   SOUTHERLY FLOW FINALLY RETURNS WITH A
VENGEANCE SUNDAY AS THE HIGH MOVES OFF INTO THE ATLANTIC WHILE A
LONGWAVE TROUGH PATTERN SETS UP OVER THE WESTERN U.S.

PRELIMINARY NUMBERS...
AUS 072/080/051/081 0310
DRT 068/089/057/085 1200
SAT 074/083/053/081 0320

.EWX...NONE.

02/19

In the hours before

Local storm report, May 20, 7:25 PM CST, 1 hour 5 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AUSTIN/SAN ANTONIO, TX
825 PM CDT SUN MAY 20 2001

TIME(CDT)  .....CITY LOCATION.....STATE   ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

0610 PM    DEWEES                    TX   1.75 INCH HAIL
05/20/01   WILSON                         REPORTED BY LAW
                                          ENFORCEMENT

0615 PM    5S FLORESVILLE            TX   WIND DAMAGE
05/20/01   WILSON                         HOUSE DESTROYED AND CAR
                                          WINDOWS DAMAGED REPORTED
                                          BY LAW ENFORCEMENT

0625 PM    STOCKDALE                 TX   4.00 INCH HAIL
05/20/01   WILSON                         REPORTED BY CO-OP
                                          OBSERVER

0715 PM    MCCOY                     TX   WIND DAMAGE
05/20/01   ATASCOSA                       ROOF TORN OFF HOUSE
                                          REPORTED BY LAW ENFORCEMENT

0745 PM    LULING                    TX   WIND DAMAGE
05/20/01   CALDWELL                       TREES AND POWER LINES DOWN
                                          REPORTED BY LAW ENFORCEMENT

815 PM     LLANO                     TX   WIND DAMAGE
0/20/01    LLANO                          TREES AND POWER LINES DOWN
                                          REPORTED BY LAW ENFORCEMENT

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Flash Flood, Travis

When
May 20, 8:30 PM CST to 9:00 PM CST
Where
Travis County, Countywide
Injuries
5 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage
$60,000
Reported by
NEWSPAPER
Coordinates
30.335, -97.782 (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 2001Every state in 2001This day in weather historyWarnings in Texas, May 2001

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: 5243287.