Tropical Storm in Texas, September 5 to 7, 2002

Name: Tropical Storm in Texas, September 5 to 7, 2002
Start: 2002-09-05T00:00
End: 2002-09-07T18:00
Location: Texas

September 5 to 7, 2002 · NWS HGX · 6 events in 6 counties and zones

6 tropical storm, as filed by the National Weather Service.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 6 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: 3
Property damage: $4.5 million
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 6

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 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 Houston/Galveston, TX wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Sep 4, 8:20 PM CST, 3 hours 40 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Sep 4, 8:20 PM CST, 3 hours 40 minutes before

SOUTHEAST TEXAS FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HOUSTON/GALVESTON TX
920 PM CDT WED SEP 4 2002

SCT SHWRS CONTINUE TO DEVELOP AND MOVE WEST ACROSS FA TONIGHT IN
VERY MOIST ATMOSPHERE. 00Z LCH AND CRP SOUNDINGS SHOW PW IN THE
2.3-2.5 INCH RANGE. EXPECT MOST ACTIVITY TO BE ALONG THE COASTAL
ZONES OVERNIGHT...BUT COULD SEE SCT ACTIVITY INLAND AS CURRENT
FORECAST INDICATES. NO ZONE UPDATE NECESSARY TONIGHT.

TIDES ARE RUNNING 1 TO 1.5 FEET ABOVE NORMAL WHICH IS WHAT WAS
OCCURRING EARLIER THIS AFT...SO NO CHANGE CONCERNING THE TIDE
SITUATION. COASTAL FLOOD WATCH WILL REMAIN IN EFFECT THROUGH
THURSDAY DUE TO THE TIGHT PRESSURE GRADIENT ACROSS THE UPPER SE TX
COAST AND THE POSSIBILITY OF THE TROPICAL DISTURBANCE IN THE NW GULF
BECOMING BETTER ORGANIZED TOMORROW. IN MY LATEST SFC ANALYSIS COULD
NOT FIND A SFC LOW IN THE WESTERN GULF...BUT A SFC TROF AXIS IS
STILL PRESENT ACROSS THE WESTERN GULF. BASICALLY WE ARE IN A WAIT
AND SEE MODE THE NEXT COUPLE OF DAYS WITH THIS SYSTEM CONCERNING
TROPICAL DEVELOPMENT.

.HGX...COASTAL FLOOD WATCH PORT OCONNOR TO HIGH ISLAND THROUGH
       THURSDAY.
       SCEC 0-60 NM WATERS FROM FREEPORT TO MATAGORDA SHIP CHANNEL
       AND BAYS.
       SCA 0-60 NM WATERS FROM HIGH ISLAND TO FREEPORT
33/41

PREVIOUS DISCUSSION...
A VERY DISORGANIZED SYSTEM OFF THE TEXAS COAST HAS THE POTENTIAL FOR
TROPICAL DEVELOPMENT OVER THE NEXT FEW DAYS. WELL CONTINUE TO
MONITOR ALL INFORMATION ON THIS SYSTEM ISSUED BY THE TPC/NHC. WITH
THE SYSTEM AT ITS PRESENT STATE...INCREASING EAST AND NORTHEAST
SURFACE WINDS NEAR THE COAST AND OFFSHORE ARE BRINGING HIGHER TIDES
TO THE UPPER TEXAS COAST. THIS EAST AND NORTHEAST FETCH IS EXPECTED
TO PERSIST FOR THE NEXT SEVERAL DAYS. LITTLE CHANGE IN LOCATION AND
STRENGTH OF THE WEAK SURFACE LOW OFF THE TEXAS COAST IN COMBINATION
WITH THE SURFACE HIGH ACROSS THE EASTERN U.S. WILL KEEP OUR AREA AT
RISK FOR HIGHER TIDES. IF THE SURFACE LOW DOES DEEPEN/STRENGTHEN AND
THE GRADIENT TIGHTENS...OUR RISK FOR COASTAL FLOODING WILL INCREASE.
WILL GO AHEAD AND ISSUE A COASTAL FLOOD WATCH FROM PORT OCONNOR TO
HIGH ISLAND WITH A FORECAST OF TIDES RUNNING 1.5 TO 2.0 FEET ABOVE
NORMAL (THE CFWHOU WILL BE OUT BY 3 PM).

ABUNDANT MOISTURE (PRECIP WATER VALUES >2 INCHES) WILL PERSIST
ACROSS THE WESTERN GULF WATERS. A SLIGHT SHIFT OF THE MOISTURE AXIS
TO THE WEST WILL INCREASE OUR RISK FOR HEAVY RAIN. FOR NOW...WILL
CONTINUE THE HIGHER POP FORECAST AND THE LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL
THREAT FOR THE COASTAL COUNTIES. WILL HAVE LOWER POPS FOR THE IAH
AREA AND EVEN LOWER NUMBERS FOR THE CLL AREA.

MODELS EITHER KEEP THE SURFACE LOW NEARLY STATIONARY OR DRIFT THE
LOW WESTWARD THROUGH THE END OF THE WEEK. UNCERTAINTY IN THE FUTURE
POSITION AND POTENTIAL TROPICAL DEVELOPMENT OF THIS GULF SYSTEM IS
HIGH. FOR THE EXTENDED...WILL CALL FOR SLIGHT CHANCE POPS INLAND AND
CHANCE POPS ALONG THE COAST.

42/35

PRELIMS...
CLL BB 073/091 073/091 074 222
IAH EE 074/088 074/088 075 444
GLS TT 078/085 078/085 079 666

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

6 tropical storm. Local standard time, as filed.

Tropical Storm, Wharton

When: September 5, 12:00 AM CST to September 7, 6:00 PM CST
Where: Wharton forecast zone
Reported by: NWS STORM SURVEY
Coordinates: 29.278, -96.222 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Tropical Storm Fay began as an area of disturbed weather associated with a broad low pressure system in the northwest Gulf of Mexico during the first week of September. On Thursday, September 5th, this disturbance became the sixth tropical depression of the 2002 hurricane season with a poorly defined center located approximately 125 miles southeast of Galveston, Texas. That evening, just six hours after formation, the depression became Tropical Storm Fay as winds strengthened to 40 mph.Fay remained nearly stationary Thursday night and through most of Friday. However, Fay did manage to slowly strengthen with winds reaching 60 mph late Friday morning (September 6th). On Friday evening, Fay began to redevelop further west near a cluster of strong thunderstorms. These thunderstorms began pushing inland along the southeast Texas coastline between San Luis Pass and Palacios around 11 PM CDT. As this cluster of thunderstorms moved inland, it produced extremely heavy rainfall, tornadoes, and strong damaging wind gusts. The center of Fay moved inland early Saturday morning (September 7th) near Palacios and weakened to a tropical depression late that morning.There were no deaths in Southeast Texas associated with Fay. Three people were injured when a tornado damaged a mobile home in southern Fort Bend County Friday night. Fay produced a total of five tornadoes along a path from Freeport in Brazoria County to near Hungerford in Wharton County. Flooding was significant in Brazoria, Matagorda and Wharton counties due to high tides and severe rainwater flooding. Between 10 and 20 inches of rain fell in an area from Freeport north-northwest to Boling in eastern Wharton County. The hardest hit area was near the community of Sweeny in southwest Brazoria County. In Brazoria County, over 1500 homes were flooded. Over 800 homes received damage from winds and tornadoes. Nearly 100 businesses and nearly 100 multi-family buildings were damaged. Nearly 500 cars were flooded. In Matagorda County, 130 single family homes and 32 businesses were damaged mainly by flood waters. As a result of high tides and heavy rain, over $1.2 million in damage was done to public facilities including roads, bridges and public buildings. In Wharton County, over 200 single family homes were damaged or destroyed. Tornadoes damaged 7 homes while the remainder of the damage was due to flooding.It is estimated that beach erosion from high tides produced $3.5 million in damage to public roads, bridges and recreational areas across Galveston County. Another half a million dollars in damage from the high tides was inflicted on 135 residential structures. Of these 135 structures, 23 received major damage. The highest reported wind gust was in the town of Clute in Brazoria County where an 83 mph wind gust was recorded at 120 AM CDT on Saturday.The highest recorded tide level occurred at Jamaica Beach where the tide level reached 5.40 feet above mean low-lower water at 830 AM CDT Saturday morning, September 7th.

Tropical Storm, Fort Bend

When: September 5, 12:00 AM CST to September 7, 6:00 PM CST
Where: Fort Bend forecast zone
Injuries: 3 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $4.5 million
Reported by: NWS STORM SURVEY
Coordinates: 29.528, -95.771 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Tropical Storm, Galveston

When: September 5, 12:00 AM CST to September 7, 6:00 PM CST
Where: Galveston forecast zone
Reported by: NWS STORM SURVEY
Coordinates: 29.298, -94.811 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Tropical Storm, Jackson

When: September 5, 12:00 AM CST to September 7, 6:00 PM CST
Where: Jackson forecast zone
Reported by: NWS STORM SURVEY
Coordinates: 28.954, -96.578 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Tropical Storm, Matagorda

When: September 5, 12:00 AM CST to September 7, 6:00 PM CST
Where: Matagorda forecast zone
Reported by: NWS STORM SURVEY
Coordinates: 28.786, -96.004 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Tropical Storm, Brazoria

When: September 5, 12:00 AM CST to September 7, 6:00 PM CST
Where: Brazoria forecast zone
Reported by: NWS STORM SURVEY
Coordinates: 29.168, -95.434 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Tropical Storm: A tropical cyclone with sustained winds of 34 to 63 knots (39 to 73 mph).

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, September 2002 The 2002 hurricane season

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: 5316741, 5316742, 5316743, 5316744, 5316745, 5316746.