On July 16, isolated early morning showers expanded by mid morning into scattered thunderstorms formed with heavy rain that persisted through the early evening. Widespread 1 to 2 inch rains fell from Eagle Pass to LaPryor to Pearsall and Carrizo Springs.
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.
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.
The episode as NWS EWX wrote it up.
On July 16, isolated early morning showers expanded by mid morning into scattered thunderstorms formed with heavy rain that persisted through the early evening. Widespread 1 to 2 inch rains fell from Eagle Pass to LaPryor to Pearsall and Carrizo Springs. Isolated totals of up to 4 to 6 inches were reported. The rain was sufficient to cause brief flash flooding over soils that had remained nearly saturated.
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, 8:30 AM CST, 3 hours 30 minutes earlier.
SOUTH CENTRAL TEXAS FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AUSTIN/SAN ANTONIO TX 930 AM CDT TUE JUL 16 2002 CURRENT WEATHER ANALYSIS... UPPER TROUGH ALIGNED OVER THE REGION ALONG A SOUTHWEST TO NORTHEAST AXIS. SURFACE RIDGE TO THE EAST PROVIDING SOUTHEAST FLOW OFF THE GULF INTO THE SOUTH CENTRAL TEXAS HILL COUNTY FORECAST WARNING AREA. OUTLOOK... VERY MOIST CONDITIONS PREVAIL OVER THE REGION. THE MAIN FOCUS WILL BE EASTERN HALF OF THE COUNTY WARNING AREA WITH RAINFALL RATES OF TWO TO FOUR INCHES AN HOUR EXPECTED IN THE STRONGER STORMS. LOOK FOR WIDESPREAD ONE-HALF TO ONE INCH. WILL UPDATE THE 4AM ZONE FORECAST. LOWER TEMPS OVER THE SOUTHEASTERN COUNTIES AND CHANGING WORDING TO REFLECT THE ONGOING WEATHER CONDITIONS. WILL RE-ISSUE FORECAST SHORTLY. PREVIOUS DISCUSSION... 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 Laughlin AFB radar (KDFX), 107 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 18:02 UTC.
4 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.
General 1 to 2 inch rains fell with isolated totals to near 4 inches near Big Wells. Flash flooding occurred through the mid afternoon. No damage was indicated
Scattered showers and thunderstorms produced general rain totals of 1 to 2 inches with isolated amounts to 3 inches near El Indio. No damage was indicated.
Scattered showers and thunderstorms produced rain totals generally around 1 to 2 inches, with isolated amounts near 4 inches from Batesville southward. No damage was indicated.
Widespread 2 to 3 inch rains fell over Frio County, with isolated amounts to 6 inches in the Pearsall area. Soils were already saturated from previous rainfall, and flash flooding developed quickly. It continued into the late afternoon.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Texas in 2002Every state in 2002This day in weather historyWarnings in Texas, July 2002
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: 5311096, 5311097, 5311098, 5311177.