Flash Flooding and Hail in Texas, May 6, 2001

Name: Flash Flooding and Hail in Texas, May 6, 2001
Start: 2001-05-06T21:15
End: 2001-05-06T23:45
Location: Texas

May 6, 2001 · NWS EWX · 5 events in 5 counties and zones

Heavy rain from eastern Travis and Williamson Counties across the western parts of Bastrop and Lee Counties resulted in general rainfall of 1 to 2 inches with totals of near 4 inches. The resulting flash flooding forced the closing of numerous highways and streets, including portions of SH290 between Del Valle in Travis County and Elysium in Bastrop County.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 4 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: $50,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 5

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.

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 6, 8:25 PM CST, 50 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 6, 8:25 PM CST, 50 minutes before

SOUTH CENTRAL TEXAS FORECAST DISCUSSION...CORRECTION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AUSTIN/SAN ANTONIO TX
925 PM CDT SUN MAY 6 2001

NOT MUCH TIME TO FIDDLE AS ACTIVE WEATHER OCCURRING. HIGH CAPES
(ABOVE 2000) OVER MUCH OF AREA THIS EVENING WITH WIDESPREAD HAIL
EVENT IN PROGRESS.  THIS SHOWING ATMOSPHERE TO BE QUITE UNSTABLE..
DBZS (REFLECTIVITIES) ON RADAR ARE GRADUALLY GOING DOWN AT THIS
HOUR....

UPDATED PPRELIMINARY NUMBERS...
AUS 069/083/066/081 5353
DRT 068/090/068/087 2232
SAT 071/085/067/083 4243

.EWX...NONE.

02/19

In the hours before

Local storm report, May 6, 8:28 PM CST, 47 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AUSTIN/SAN ANTONIO, TX
928 PM CDT SUN MAY 6 2001

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

0534 PM    81/2 NNW LLANO            TX   .75 INCH HAIL
05/06/01   LLANO                          REPORTED BY
SPOTTERS

0548 PM    81/2 NNW LLANO            TX   1.25 INCH HAIL
05/06/01   LLANO                          REPORTED BY
SPOTTERS

0610 PM    1 E LLANO                 TX   1.75 INCH HAIL
05/06/01   LLANO                          REPORTED BY
SPOTTERS

0615 PM    8 E LLANO                 TX   TORNADO
05/06/01   LLANO                          LARGE FUNNEL CLOUD
                                          REPORTED BY PUBLIC.

0618 PM    2 E LLANO                 TX   2.75 INCH HAIL
05/06/01   LLANO                          REPORTED BY
PUBLIC

0640 PM    BUCHANAN DAM              TX   1.00 INCH HAIL
05/06/01   LLANO                          REPORTED BY
PUBLIC

0645 PM    3 W LYTLE                 TX   1.50 INCH HAIL
05/06/01   ATASCOSA                       REPORTED BY CO-OP
                                          OBSERVERS

0645 PM      BUCHANAN DAM            TX   1.00 INCH HAIL
05/06/01   LLANO                          REPORTED BY
HAM

0700 PM    8 SW BURNET               TX   1.00 INCH HAIL
05/06/01   BURNET                         REPORTED BY
PUBLIC

0720 PM    VALLEY DRIVE SAN ANTONIO  TX   .75 INCH HAIL
05/06/01   BEXAR                          REPORTED BY
NWS EMPLOYEE

0735 PM    LEON VALLEY               TX   1.00 INCH HAIL
05/06/01   BEXAR                          REPORTED BY
HAM

0738 PM    DEZAVALA AND VANCE JACKSON SAN ANTONIOTX   4.50 INCH HAIL
05/06/01   BEXAR                          REPORTED BY RETIRED NWS
                                          EMPLOYEE

0750 PM    DEZAVALA AND BABCOCK SAN ANTONIOTX   2.00 INCH HAIL
05/06/01   BEXAR                          REPORTED BY
PUBLIC

0750 PM    DEZAVALA AND I 10 SAN ANTONIOTX   2.75 INCH HAIL
05/06/01   BEXAR                          REPORTED BY
HAM

0755 PM    I 10 AND HUEBNER SAN ANTONIOTX   2.00 INCH HAIL
05/06/01   BEXAR                          REPORTED BY
NWS EMPLOYEE

0755 PM    CAMP BULLIS               TX   1.75 INCH HAIL
05/06/01   BEXAR                          REPORTED BY NWS EMPLOYEE

DC

Local storm report, May 6, 8:39 PM CST, 36 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT...COR
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AUSTIN/SAN ANTONIO, TX
939 PM CDT SUN MAY 6 2001

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

0534 PM    81/2 NNW LLANO            TX   .75 INCH HAIL
05/06/01   LLANO                          REPORTED BY
SPOTTERS

0548 PM    81/2 NNW LLANO            TX   1.25 INCH HAIL
05/06/01   LLANO                          REPORTED BY
SPOTTERS

0610 PM    1 E LLANO                 TX   1.75 INCH HAIL
05/06/01   LLANO                          REPORTED BY
SPOTTERS

0615 PM    8 E LLANO                 TX   TORNADO
05/06/01   LLANO                          LARGE FUNNEL CLOUD
                                          REPORTED BY PUBLIC.

0618 PM    2 E LLANO                 TX   2.75 INCH HAIL
05/06/01   LLANO                          REPORTED BY
PUBLIC

0640 PM    BUCHANAN DAM              TX   1.00 INCH HAIL
05/06/01   LLANO                          REPORTED BY
PUBLIC

0645 PM    3 W LYTLE                 TX   1.50 INCH HAIL
05/06/01   ATASCOSA                       REPORTED BY CO-OP
                                          OBSERVERS

0645 PM      BUCHANAN DAM            TX   1.00 INCH HAIL
05/06/01   LLANO                          REPORTED BY
HAM

0700 PM    8 SW BURNET               TX   1.00 INCH HAIL
05/06/01   BURNET                         REPORTED BY
PUBLIC

0720 PM    VALLEY DRIVE SAN ANTONIO  TX   .75 INCH HAIL
05/06/01   BEXAR                          REPORTED BY
NWS EMPLOYEE

0735 PM    LEON VALLEY               TX   1.00 INCH HAIL
05/06/01   BEXAR                          REPORTED BY
HAM

0738 PM    DEZAVALA AND VANCE JACKSON SAN ANTONIOTX   4.50 INCH HAIL
05/06/01   BEXAR                          REPORTED BY RETIRED NWS
                                          EMPLOYEE

0750 PM    DEZAVALA AND BABCOCK SAN ANTONIOTX   2.00 INCH HAIL
05/06/01   BEXAR                          REPORTED BY
PUBLIC

0750 PM    DEZAVALA AND I 10 SAN ANTONIOTX   2.75 INCH HAIL
05/06/01   BEXAR                          REPORTED BY
HAM

0755 PM    I 10 AND HUEBNEjR SAN ANTONIOTX   2.00 INCH HAIL
05/06/01   BEXAR                          REPORTED BY
NWS EMPLOYEE

0755 PM    CAMP BULLIS               TX   1.75 INCH HAIL
05/06/01   BEXAR                          REPORTED BY NWS EMPLOYEE

Local storm report, May 6, 8:44 PM CST, 31 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT...CORRECTED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AUSTIN/SAN ANTONIO, TX
944 PM CDT SUN MAY 6 2001

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

0534 PM    81/2 NNW LLANO            TX   .75 INCH HAIL
05/06/01   LLANO                          REPORTED BY
                                          SPOTTERS

0548 PM    81/2 NNW LLANO            TX   1.25 INCH HAIL
05/06/01   LLANO                          REPORTED BY
                                          SPOTTERS

0610 PM    1 E LLANO                 TX   1.75 INCH HAIL
05/06/01   LLANO                          REPORTED BY
                                          SPOTTERS

0615 PM    8 E LLANO                 TX   TORNADO
05/06/01   LLANO                          LARGE FUNNEL CLOUD
                                          REPORTED BY PUBLIC.

0618 PM    2 E LLANO                 TX   2.75 INCH HAIL
05/06/01   LLANO                          REPORTED BY
                                          PUBLIC

0640 PM    BUCHANAN DAM              TX   1.00 INCH HAIL
05/06/01   LLANO                          REPORTED BY
                                          PUBLIC

0645 PM    3 W LYTLE                 TX   1.50 INCH HAIL
05/06/01   ATASCOSA                       REPORTED BY CO-OP
                                          OBSERVERS

0645 PM    BUCHANAN DAM              TX   1.00 INCH HAIL
05/06/01   LLANO                          REPORTED BY
                                          HAM

0700 PM    8 SW BURNET               TX   1.00 INCH HAIL
05/06/01   BURNET                         REPORTED BY
                                          PUBLIC

0720 PM    VALLEY DRIVE
           SAN ANTONIO               TX   .75 INCH HAIL
05/06/01   BEXAR                          REPORTED BY
                                          NWS EMPLOYEE

0735 PM    LEON VALLEY               TX   1.00 INCH HAIL
05/06/01   BEXAR                          REPORTED BY
                                          HAM

0738 PM    DEZAVALA AND VANCE JACKSON
           SAN ANTONIO               TX   4.50 INCH HAIL
05/06/01   BEXAR                          REPORTED BY RETIRED NWS
                                          EMPLOYEE

0750 PM    DEZAVALA AND BABCOCK
           SAN ANTONIO               TX   2.00 INCH HAIL
05/06/01   BEXAR                          REPORTED BY
                                          PUBLIC

0750 PM    DEZAVALA AND I 10
           SAN ANTONIO               TX   2.75 INCH HAIL
05/06/01   BEXAR                          REPORTED BY
                                          HAM

0755 PM    I 10 AND HUEBNER
           SAN ANTONIO               TX   2.00 INCH HAIL
05/06/01   BEXAR                          REPORTED BY
                                          NWS EMPLOYEE

0755 PM    CAMP BULLIS               TX   1.75 INCH HAIL
05/06/01   BEXAR                          REPORTED BY NWS EMPLOYEE

DC

The radar

The Austin/San Antonio radar (KEWX), 55 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 03:14 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

4 flash flood, 1 hail. Local standard time, as filed.

Hail, Hays

When: May 6, 9:15 PM CST to 9:25 PM CST
Where: Hays County, Dripping Spgs
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 30.200, -98.083

Flash Flood, Travis

When: May 6, 10:00 PM CST to 11:00 PM CST
Where: Travis County, East Portion
Property damage: $20,000
Reported by: EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates: 30.335, -97.782 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flash Flood, Williamson

When: May 6, 10:00 PM CST to 11:00 PM CST
Where: Williamson County, East Portion
Property damage: $15,000
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 30.648, -97.601 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flash Flood, Bastrop

When: May 6, 10:30 PM CST to 11:30 PM CST
Where: Bastrop County, West Portion
Property damage: $10,000
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 30.104, -97.312 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flash Flood, Lee

When: May 6, 11:00 PM CST to 11:45 PM CST
Where: Lee County, West Portion
Property damage: $5,000
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 30.311, -96.966 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

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.

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, 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: 5243271, 5243272, 5243273, 5243274, 5243275.