Late on the night of September 14, a weak cold front moved into South Central Texas. Shortly after midnight widespread showers and thunderstorms developed over the southwest sections as an upper level system approached from the west.
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.
Late on the night of September 14, a weak cold front moved into South Central Texas. Shortly after midnight widespread showers and thunderstorms developed over the southwest sections as an upper level system approached from the west. Rainfall of 1 to 2 inches fell generally south of an Eagle Pass to Pearsall line, with isolated totals of up to 4 inches. Brief flash flooding began near sunrise that morning, ending by the mid morning.
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 Sep 15, 4:45 AM CST, 15 minutes earlier.
SOUTH CENTRAL TEXAS FORECAST DISCUSSION UPDATED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AUSTIN/SAN ANTONIO TX 545 AM CDT SUN SEP 15 2002 FORECASTS CONT TO SHOW SLOW MOVING LOW ALOFT OVR WEST TEXAS POSSIBLY GOING STATIONARY LATE TODAY THRU MONDAY. WEAK FRONT TO THE NORTH EXPECTED TO DRIFT SOUTHWARD OVER S CNTRL TX AND THEN STALL SOMEWHERE SOUTH OF THE AREA MONDAY. WESTERLIES BEGAN TO GET STRONGER TUESDAY IN A PATTERN EXPECTED TO MOVE LOW ALOFT ACROSS S CNTRL TX. BY WEDNESDAY...MORE STABLE CONDITIONS SHOW UP...SIGNALLING A DRY AND WARM DAY. THIS TREND IS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE THURSDAY AND FRIDAY WITH LOW POPS IN A STABLE ENVIRONMENT. FORECASTS CONT TO SHOW A COOL FRONT COMING FRIDAY NIGHT AND SATURDAY IN A RELATIVELY STABLE PATTERN ALOFT. THIS WILL MAKE FOR COOLER NIGHT AND SUNNY DAYS WITH AFTN HIGHS SLIGHTLY BELOW NORMAL. IN THE MEANTIME CHANCE OF RAIN EXPECTED TO BE HIGH TODAY THRU MONDAY...THEN BEGIN A SLOW FALL ON TUESDAY AND FALL BELOW 10 PERCENT BY WEDNESDAY. PRELIMS... AUS 085/067 082/068 76764 DRT 083/067 083/070 76741 SAT 084/067 082/070 86754 .EWX...FLASH FLOOD WATCH SOUTHERN PART OF S CNTRL TX THRU 6 PM CDT TODAY. 08/19/23
TXZ171>173-183>194-202>209-217>225-228-151300- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AUSTIN/SAN ANTONIO TX 440 AM CDT SUN SEP 15 2002 ...RAIN FOR PARTS OF CENTRAL AND SOUTH CENTRAL TEXAS TONIGHT THROUGH MONDAY... A SLOW MOVING WEATHER SYSTEM ALOFT OVER WEST TEXAS AND WEAK COOL FRONT DRIFTING THROUGH CENTRAL AND SOUTH CENTRAL TEXAS WILL CAUSE OCCASIONAL RAIN...WITH SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS TODAY OVER THE AREA. SINCE THE LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM ALOFT IS FORECAST TO MOVE LITTLE THROUGH MONDAY...THE CHANCE OF RAIN WILL CONTINUE TONIGHT AND MONDAY...WITH SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS POSSIBLE. LOCALLY HEAVY RAIN IS POSSIBLE. AS THE LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM ALOFT BEGINS TO DRIFT EAST MONDAY NIGHT...THE CHANCE OF RAIN...SHOWERS OR THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE. THIS WEATHER SYSTEM IS FORECAST TO MOVE EAST OF SOUTH CENTRAL TEXAS BY LATE TUESDAY...THEREFORE A CLEARING TREND FROM THE WEST IS EXPECTED ON TUESDAY...WITH RAIN ENDING. DRY AND WARM WEATHER IS EXPECTED WEDNESDAY THROUGH FRIDAY... FOLLOWED BY A POSSIBLE COOL FRONT PASSING THROUGH THE AREA SATURDAY. THIS WILL MAKE FOR A PARTLY CLOUDY AND BREEZY DAY SATURDAY...WITH AFTERNOON HIGHS A LITTLE COOLER OR NOT QUITE AS WARM.
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
4 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.
General 1 to 2 inch rainfall with isolated totals to 3 inches. No damage was indicated.
General 2 inch rainfall with isolated totals to 4 inches. No damage was indicated.
General 2 inch rainfall with isolated totals to 4 inches. No damage was indicated.
General 1 to 2 inch rainfall with isolated totals to 3 inches. No damage was indicated.
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, September 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: 5320856, 5320857, 5320858, 5320859.