Flash Flood in Texas, November 16, 2001

Name: Flash Flood in Texas, November 16, 2001
Start: 2001-11-16T09:59
End: 2001-11-16T11:00
Location: Texas

November 16, 2001 · NWS BRO · 1 event in 1 county or zone

1 flash flood, as filed by the National Weather Service.

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

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
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 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 Brownsville, TX wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Nov 16, 9:00 AM CST, 59 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Nov 16, 9:00 AM CST, 59 minutes before

DEEP SOUTH TEXAS FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BROWNSVILLE TX
900 AM CST FRI NOV 16 2001

.DISCUSSION...TODAYS WEATHER HAS THE POTENTIAL TO BECOME MORE
COMPLICATED BY THIS AFTERNOON.  A POTENT 5H UPPER LOW OVER WEST
TEXAS CONTINUES TO SPIN...FEEDING MID LEVEL MOISTURE OVER DEEP SOUTH
TEXAS FROM THE SOUTHWEST.  LOW LEVEL SOUTHEAST FLOW IS ALSO PUMPING
MOISTURE INTO THE AREA.  HEAVY RAIN CELLS TO THE NORTH HAVE BEEN
BACK BUILDING INTO ZAPATA AND JIM HOGG COUNTIES THIS MORNING...
PROMPTING A FLOOD WARNING FOR THOSE COUNTIES.

THIS MORNINGS SOUNDING EXHIBITS ABUNDANT LOW-LEVEL MOISTURE...WITH
PWAT OVER 1.5 INCHES...COMBINE THIS WITH AN LI OF -7.5 AND A CAPE
OVER 3000.  CLEARLY THE INGREDIENTS ARE IN PLACE FOR FUELING DEEP
CONVECTION.  THE CURRENT QUESTION IS HOW FAR SOUTH INTO THE CWA THE
HEAVY CONVECTION WILL MOVE.  THIS MORNINGS ETA MODEL SHOWS THE TAIL
OF A MID-LEVEL IMPULSE CURRENTLY PASSING OVER THE CWA...WHICH IS
ENCOURAGING UPWARD MOTION THIS MORNING.  HOWEVER...STRONGEST PVA
WITH THIS IMPULSE WILL BE FARTHER TO THE NORTH OVER CENTRAL
TX...HINTING THAT SOME CONVECTION WILL REDEVELOP TO THE NORTH LATER
ON THIS AFTERNOON. NEVERTHELESS...THE CURRENT RUN OF THE RUC MODEL
APPEARS TO BE CAPTURING THE SOUTHWARD MOTION OF THE MCS OVER THE
NORTHERN HALF OF THE CWA...SUGGESTING THAT THIS SYS WILL CONTINUE TO
SAG SLOWLY SOUTHWARD THIS MORNING...BUT BELIEVE MAIN THREAT WILL BE
HEAVY RAIN...THUS WILL RAISE POPS OVER THE CWA AND INCLUDE MENTION
OF LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL...AS WELL AS ISSUING A FLOOD WATCH FOR THE
CWA.

.MARINE...WINDS AND SEAS HAVE DIMINISHED SLIGHTLY OFFSHORE...TO
AROUND 15 KNOTS AND 6 FEET...SO WILL GO WITH SCEC NOW INSTEAD OF SCA.

COORDINATION...52.WCM/PUBLIC-SYNOPTIC-AVIATION-MARINE...54.BHM-CAM/
MESO...60.TS-55.MM

.BRO...FFA TXZ248>257.

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Nov 16, 5:00 AM CST, 4 hours 59 minutes before

TXZ248>257-161900-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BROWNSVILLE TX
500 AM CST FRI NOV 16 2001

...ISOLATED INTENSE TO SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS POSSIBLE AGAIN TODAY...

A STRONG UPPER LEVEL LOW PRESSURE AREA...NOW CENTERED OVER SOUTHEASTERN
NEW MEXICO...WILL CONTINUE TO PUSH ABUNDANT MOISTURE AND INSTABILITY
INTO MOST OF TEXAS TODAY. THE MAJORITY OF THE MORE INTENSE THUNDERSTORM
ACTIVITY WILL REMAIN CONCENTRATED TO OUR NORTH OVER SOUTH CENTRAL TEXAS
AND THE COASTAL BEND AREA TODAY.  HOWEVER...SCATTERED SHOWER AND
THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY WILL ONCE AGAIN THREATEN PORTIONS OF DEEP SOUTH
TEXAS THROUGHOUT THE DAY.

THE COMBINATION OF THE UNSTABLE ATMOSPHERE...THE LIGHTER SURFACE
WINDS...AND THE EXPECTED AFTERNOON HEATING WILL MAKE CONDITIONS MORE
CONDUCIVE FOR ISOLATED SEVERE THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY ACROSS THE REGION
TODAY. LARGE HAIL...DAMAGING WINDS...AND VERY HEAVY RAINS WILL BE THE
MAIN THREAT FROM ANY INTENSE THUNDERSTORMS THAT FORM.

IN ADDITION...A SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY CONTINUES FOR THE LOWER TEXAS GULF
WATERS TODAY. CONDITIONS SHOULD STEADILY IMPROVE TONIGHT AND LATER THIS
WEEKEND ALLOWING WINDS AND SEAS TO SUBSIDE TO BELOW SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY
CRITERIA.

STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO...COMMERCIAL TELEVISION OR RADIO
STATIONS...OR YOUR CABLE TELEVISION PROVIDER...FOR LATER STATEMENTS
CONCERNING THIS POTENTIAL SEVERE WEATHER THREAT.

SPEECE/MCGUIRE

Special weather statement, Nov 16, 9:30 AM CST, 29 minutes before

TXZ248>257-161900-

DEEP SOUTH TEXAS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...UPDATED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BROWNSVILLE TX
930 AM CST FRI NOV 16 2001

...FLASH FLOOD WATCH IN EFFECT FOR DEEP SOUTH TEXAS THROUGH 4 PM...

A STRONG UPPER LEVEL LOW PRESSURE AREA...NOW CENTERED OVER
SOUTHEASTERN NEW MEXICO...WILL CONTINUE TO PUSH ABUNDANT UPPER
MOISTURE AND INSTABILITY INTO MOST OF TEXAS TODAY. THE MORE INTENSE
THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY WILL REMAIN CONCENTRATED TO OUR NORTH OVER
SOUTH CENTRAL TEXAS AND THE COASTAL BEND AREA TODAY HOWEVER...
SCATTERED SHOWER AND THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY WILL ONCE AGAIN THREATEN
PORTIONS OF DEEP SOUTH TEXAS THROUGHOUT THE DAY.

THE COMBINATION OF THE UNSTABLE ATMOSPHERE...THE LIGHTER SURFACE
WINDS...AND THE EXPECTED AFTERNOON HEATING WILL MAKE CONDITIONS MORE
CONDUCIVE FOR ISOLATED SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS THE REGION TODAY.
VERY HEAVY RAINS AND STRONG GUSTY WINDS WILL BE THE MAIN THREAT FROM
ANY INTENSE THUNDERSTORMS THAT FORM.

STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO...COMMERCIAL TELEVISION OR RADIO
STATIONS...OR YOUR CABLE TELEVISION PROVIDER...FOR LATER STATEMENTS
CONCERNING THIS POTENTIAL SEVERE WEATHER THREAT.

SPEECE/MILLER

The radar

The Corpus Christi radar (KCRP), 185 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 15:56 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Flash Flood, Zapata

When: November 16, 9:59 AM CST to 11:00 AM CST
Where: Zapata County, 10 mi N of San Ygnacio
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 27.001, -99.169 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

A strong upper level low pressure area moved over Deep South Texas from southeastern New Mexico beginning on Friday November 16, 2001. The combination of moist and unstable air combined with afternoon heating created a ripe atmosphere for the development of showers and thunderstorms. Rainfall totals over 3 inches were reported in Zapata county and widespread 1 to 2 inches amounts were reported across the remainder of the Rio Grande Valley. Below are selected cities rainfall totals during the month of November.Brownsville...2.42Harlingen...2.01McAllen...0.95Rio Grande City...2.16Falfurrias...2.65Sarita...3.83Zapata...4.32Falcon Dam...2.75November rains provided short term drought relief across Deep South Texas. Despite the above normal rainfall during the month of November, yearly rainfall totals continue well below normal at many locations across Deep South Texas.

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

Every storm in Texas in 2001 Every state in 2001 This day in weather history Warnings in Texas, November 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: 5275064.