Flash Flooding in Texas, July 16, 2002

Name: Flash Flooding in Texas, July 16, 2002
Start: 2002-07-16T08:00
End: 2002-07-16T16:00
Location: Texas

July 16, 2002 · NWS EWX · 5 events in 5 counties and zones

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 5 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: 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.

Scattered showers and thunderstorms began forming shortly in the early morning hours in an area from Cuero to Hallettsville to LaGrange to Gonzales. Rainfall was generally between 2 and 4 inches over the area, with isolated totals of up to 6 inches between LaGrange, Cuero, and Gonzales. Soils had remained saturated from previous rainfall and flash flooding developed shortly after sunrise and continued through the morning. The flash flooding generally continued through the remainder of the morning.

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 Jul 16, 1:45 AM CST, 6 hours 15 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jul 16, 1:45 AM CST, 6 hours 15 minutes before

SOUTH CENTRAL TEXAS FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AUSTIN/SAN ANTONIO TX
245 AM CDT TUE JUL 16 2002

CONTINUE THE FLASH FLOOD WATCH TODAY.  UPPER TROUGH RESPONSIBLE FOR
THE WIDESPREAD RAINS THE PAST SEVERAL DAYS WILL PERSIST TODAY AND
TONIGHT THEN WEAKEN AND EASE OUT OF AREA WEDNESDAY WITH DECREASING
CHANCES FOR MORE PRECIP AFTERWARDS.  MODELS BUILD THE WESTWARD
EXTENSION OF THE BERMUDA HIGH ACROSS THE NORTHERN GULF INTO SOUTH
TEXAS FOLLOWING THE UPPER TROUGHS EXIT.  ALTHOUGH PREVIOUS
FORECASTS TALK ABOUT LITTLE IF ANY RAIN IN THE EXTENDED...FEEL IT
MAY BE WORTH A MENTION OF AT LEAST ISOLATED ESPECIALLY IN THE SOUTH
CENTRAL COUNTIES.  CLOUD COVER AND RAIN SHOULD ONCE AGAIN HOLD DOWN
MAX TEMPS TODAY THEN ALLOW FOR A RETURN TO MORE NORMAL READINGS ON
WEDNESDAY AND AFTERWARDS AS CLOUDS BREAK AND RAINS DECREASE.

PRELIMINARY NUMBERS
AUS 86/72/92/73 9532
DRT 91/75/94/76 5322
SAT 86/73/92/74 9532

.EWX...FLASH FLOOD WATCH SOUTH CENTRAL TEXAS AND HILL COUNTRY TODAY.

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

5 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Flash Flood, De Witt

When: July 16, 8:00 AM CST to 4:00 PM CST
Where: De Witt County, Southeast Portion
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 29.082, -97.357 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Rainfall from the scattered showers and thunderstorms continued from early morning into the late morning, with general accumulations of 1 to 2 inches and isolated totals of up to 5 inches. Flash flooding persisted through the morning and into the mid afternoon. Damage was generally confined to county roads.

Flash Flood, Fayette

When: July 16, 8:30 AM CST to 11:00 AM CST
Where: Fayette County, South Portion
Reported by: EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates: 29.877, -96.920 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Scattered showers and thunderstorms, more numerous over the south part of the county, produced general rainfall of 3 to 4 inches. Soils were already saturated, and flash flooding developed very quickly, continuing through the morning. No significant damage was reported.

Flash Flood, Gonzales

When: July 16, 8:30 AM CST to 11:00 AM CST
Where: Gonzales County, East Portion
Reported by: EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates: 29.457, -97.492 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

General 3 to 4 inch rains fell from Gonzales eastward through the early morning hours, causing flash flooding to develop quickly due to the saturated nature of county soils. The flash flooding continued through most of the morning. No significant damage was indicated.

Flash Flood, Lavaca

When: July 16, 8:30 AM CST to 1:00 PM CST
Where: Lavaca County, Countywide
Reported by: EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates: 29.384, -96.930 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Scattered showers and thunderstorms dropped rainfall of 1 to 2 inches over most of Lavaca County during the early morning hours. Isolated totals of 5 inches were reported between Moulton and Hallettsville. Flash flooding developed rapidly and continued through the morning and just past noon. Minor damage was reported to roads, mainly around Moulton.

Flash Flood, Karnes

When: July 16, 10:30 AM CST to 1:00 PM CST
Where: Karnes County, Southeast Portion
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 28.906, -97.859 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Spreading westward during the morning hours from the Cuero area into southeastern Karnes County, scattered showers and thunderstorms produced rainfall of 2 to 3 inches with isolated amounts near 4 inches. With soils being saturated already, flash flooding developed in the mid morning and continued just past noon. Little or no significant damage was reported.

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 2002 Every state in 2002 This day in weather history Warnings in Texas, July 2002

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: 5311090, 5311091, 5311092, 5311093, 5311094.