Through the morning of July 3, showers and thunderstorms concentrated in bands from Kerrville to Uvalde to Crystal City. The storms produced general rainfall totals of 2 to 3 inches, with amounts of up to 10 inches in the area from Helotes to Medina and Kerrville.
Every event with a place to put it; 10 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.
Through the morning of July 3, showers and thunderstorms concentrated in bands from Kerrville to Uvalde to Crystal City. The storms produced general rainfall totals of 2 to 3 inches, with amounts of up to 10 inches in the area from Helotes to Medina and Kerrville.
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 3, 9:35 AM CST, 3 hours 25 minutes earlier.
SOUTH CENTRAL TEXAS FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AUSTIN/SAN ANTONIO TX 1035 AM CDT WED JUL 3 2002 HAVE REMOVED LEE...FAYETTE AND LAVACA COUNTIES FROM THE FLASH FLOOD WATCH AND REISSUED. OVERNIGHT MCS CONTINUES TO WEAKEN ACROSS SOUTH CENTRAL TEXAS... HOWEVER TORRENTIAL RAINS CONTINUE OVER SOUTHWEST ZAVALA COUNTY. THIS CLUSTER OF STORMS WILL DRIFT SOUTH AND SOUTHWEST IMPACTING MAVERICK AND DIMMIT COUNTIES IN THE NEAR FUTURE. THE UPPER LOW/TROF AXIS REMAINS ACROSS SOUTH CENTRAL TEXAS...HAVING MOVED A LITTLE WESTWARD. HEAVY RAINS WILL FALL OVER THE WESTERN COUNTIES FOR THE REMAINDER OF THIS MORNING...WHILE RAINS DIMINISH ACROSS THE EAST. EXPECT SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS TO REDEVELOP EARLY THIS AFTERNOON ACROSS THE EASTERN CWFA IN THE SOUTHERLY LOW LEVEL FLOW AND TRAIN NORTHWARD. ANOTHER VORT MAX IS FCST TO MOVE NORTHWARD ACROSS THE CWFA TONIGHT. THIS MCS WILL LIKELY IMPACT THE CENTRAL AND WESTERN SECTIONS OF THE CWFA TONIGHT. THIS SYSTEM CONTINUES TO BE SLOWER IN ITS WESTWARD MOVEMENT THAN MODEL SOLUTIONS. UPDATED PRELIMS... AUS 82 73 88 73 5432 DRT 85 75 87 75 8664 SAT 83 74 89 74 7542 .EWX...FLASH FLOOD WATCH FOR THE ENTIRE CWA THROUGH TONIGHT. 13/04
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
10 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.
General 2 to 3 inch totals were reported over the county, with isolated to 4 inches. The town of Bandera was reporting flooding, with widespread flooding and flash flooding in the area around the town. Vacationers were stranded in numerous locations around the county.
General 2 to 3 inch totals fell, redeveloping the flash flooding over much of the county for a brief time.
An additional 2 inches of rain fell over Kendall County, with isolated totals to 4 inches in the northern part. This caused a brief resumption of flash flooding in the mid afternoon period.
An additional 2 to 3 inches fell over Kerr County, with isolated totals of up to 8 inches in the eastern part of the county. Flash flooding developed almost immediately over low water crossings and rural roads. Damage to roads and bridges increased, especially over the eastern part of the county.
Brief flash flooding resulted from general rainfall of 1-2 inches, with up to 5 inches in the southeast part of the county. Numerous roads were closed and additional evacuations were required in camps and vacation spots along the Frio River.
General 1 to 2 inch rainfall fell across the county, with up to 5 inches both east and west of Pearsall. Brief flash flooding was reported over SH85 and FM117. No significant addition damage was indicated.
Only around 1 inch of rain fell over the western part of Comal County, but with streams and creeks already at or above flood stage, additional flash flooding developed over most low water crossings. More damage was reported to area roads and a bridge was washed away on FM306.
An additional 2 inches of rain fell over Bexar County, with amounts as high as 5 inches in the extreme western part of the county. County streams and creeks had remained at or above flood stage as the result of rainfall on July 2, so additional flash flooding over most county low water crossings and low roads was reported, continuing through the evening. Damage was generally confined to roads and bridges.
An additional 2 to 3 inches of rain, with totals of up to 9 inches, fells across the northern part of Atascosa County, with flash flooding continuing into the late evening.
Nearly all of Kendall County received an additional 3 to 4 inches of rain on July 3. Amounts of up to 10 inches were reported in the northwest part of the county. Streams and creeks that had remained in flood through the day continued to build, with roads closed across the county. The flash flooding continued through the early morning hours, finally ending near noon on July 4. A young man was drowned after the car that he and a companion were riding in was washed into swollen Menger Creek, just south of the town of Boerne on the afternoon of July 4. They were returning to San Antonio when they turned a corner and saw water from Menger Creek moving rapidly over the road. Both were able to get out of the car, but only the companion survived. M32Ve
As the offices recorded each death: direct deaths were caused by the weather itself, indirect ones by something it set in motion.
| Event | Date | Age | Sex | Where | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood, Kendall | 2002-07-04 | 32 | Male | Vehicle/Towed Trailer | Direct |
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: 5312023, 5312024, 5312025, 5312026, 5312027, 5312028, 5312029, 5312030, 5312094, 5312095.