Flash Flood in Texas, September 1, 2001

Name: Flash Flood in Texas, September 1, 2001
Start: 2001-09-01T10:00
End: 2001-09-01T14:00
Location: Texas

September 1, 2001 · NWS LCH · 1 event in 1 county or zone

Between five and eight inches of rain fell across Orange County, resulting in widespread flooding that caused water to damage property in the Vidor area.

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: 0
Property damage: $50,000
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 LCH wrote it up.

Between five and eight inches of rain fell across Orange County, resulting in widespread flooding that caused water to damage property in the Vidor area.

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 Sep 1, 9:00 AM CST, 1 hour earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Sep 1, 9:00 AM CST, 1 hour before

SOUTHWEST LOUISIANA AND SOUTHEAST TEXAS FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES LA
1000 AM CDT SAT SEP 1 2001

CURRENT SFC ANALYSIS CONTINUES TO SHOW THE COASTAL TX TROF. SAT
IMAGERY SHOWS CONTINUED PLUME OF MOISTURE OVER THE TX COASTAL REGIONS
INTO ALL OF LA. RADARS FROM CRP...HGX...AND LCH CONTINUE TO SHOW
ADDITIONAL DEVELOPMENT DOWNSTREAM...OR THE TX COASTAL PLAINS INTO
THE COASTAL WATERS MOVING NE AT 15 TO 20 KNOTS INTO SE TX. THE
QUESTION IS WILL WE GET ANY BREAKS IN THE ACTION TO ALLOW TEMPS TO
WARM UP A BIT WHICH WOULD LEAD TO HEAVIER CONVECTION? WITH THIS
ACTIVITY MOVING TOWARDS US...I WOULD BELIEVE NOT. I WILL KEEP 100%
POPS AREAWIDE WITH FLOOD WATCH THRU TONIGHT. WILL LOWER TEMPS A
CATEGORY...BUT PUT A RANGE BECAUSE OF THE HIGH VARIABILITY.

UPDATE WILL BE OUT BY 1030 AM.

.LCH...FFA TODAY AND TONIGHT FOR SOUTHEAST TEXAS...SOUTHERN AND
CENTRAL LOUISIANA.

.UPDATED NUMBERS...
AEX 84/74/86/73 +774
BPT 79/74/87/74 +774
LCH 80/74/86/74 +774
LFT 83/75/87/74 +774

8

The radar

The Lake Charles radar (KLCH), 65 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 15:59 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Flash Flood, Orange

When: September 1, 10:00 AM CST to 2:00 PM CST
Where: Orange County, Countywide
Property damage: $50,000
Reported by: EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates: 30.121, -93.894 (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

Every storm in Texas in 2001 Every state in 2001 This day in weather history Warnings in Texas, September 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: 5270329.