Flash Flooding in Texas, September 8 to 9, 2002

Name: Flash Flooding in Texas, September 8 to 9, 2002
Start: 2002-09-08T19:00
End: 2002-09-09T09:00
Location: Texas

September 8 to 9, 2002 · NWS EWX · 3 events in 3 counties and zones

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 3 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: 24
Property damage: $1.0 million
Crop damage: $250,000
Events: 3

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.

Very heavy rain redeveloped in the evening hours from Hondo south to Pearsall and southeastward to Pleasanton. General rain amounts averaged near 2 inches with over 5 inches from Frio Town to Charlotte. Within the stretch from Frio Town to Charlotte, areas were indicated with up to 8 inch totals. Flash flooding over these three counties developed in the evening hours and continued just past sunrise next 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 Sep 8, 7:00 PM CST, 0 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Sep 8, 7:00 PM CST, 0 minutes before

SOUTH CENTRAL TEXAS FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AUSTIN/SAN ANTONIO TX
800 PM CDT SUN SEP 8 2002

KEWX AND IR IMAGERY SHOW A GOOD BET FOR CORE RAINS IN THE TRIANGLE
BETWEEN SAT-CRYSTAL CITY-BEEVILLE A GOOD BET OVERNIGHT. LAST FEW VIS
IMAGES BEFORE SUNSET AND COOLING IR TEMPS SHOW VIGOROUS DEEP
CONVECTION FOCUSING AROUND THE CENTER OF FAYS REMNANTS. WILL
MAINTAIN THE CURRENT FORECAST OF 1 TO 3 INCHES COMMON OVER MUCH OF
SCNTRL TX...AND ISOLATED 5 TO 8 INCHES IN THE CORE RAIN AREA
OVERNIGHT. WILL MAKE SLIGHT CHANGES TO POPS BASED ON CURRENT AND
EXPECTED CONVECTION...BUT THE MAIN FORECAST IS IN GOOD SHAPE.

.EWX...FLASH FLOOD WATCH THROUGH 6 AM MONDAY FOR ALL EXCEPT THE
       EXTREME WESTERN COUNTIES.

26/19/KW/JB

UPDATE PRELIMS...
AUS TB 072/085 072/087 072 585
DRT ET 074/088 074/088 074 337
SAT TB 072/087 072/088 073 +85

The radar

The Austin/San Antonio radar (KEWX), 112 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 00:58 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

3 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Flash Flood, Medina

When: September 8, 7:00 PM CST to September 9, 7:00 AM CST
Where: Medina County, Countywide
Injuries: 9 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $200,000
Crop damage: $100,000
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 29.356, -99.110 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

General 2 to 3 inch rainfall was indicated with accumulations to 9 inches in the southeastern portion of the county. Around a dozen homes had flood damage in LaCoste. LaCoste city officials were forced to leave their offices due to flooding for the third time this year. Nine motorists were rescued from deep water. All Medina Valley schools were closed on Monday. Damage was also reported to bridges and county roads.

Flash Flood, Frio

When: September 8, 8:30 PM CST to September 9, 8:00 AM CST
Where: Frio County, Countywide
Injuries: 15 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $700,000
Crop damage: $100,000
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 28.868, -99.108 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

General 2 to 3 inch rainfall was indicated across the county with amounts averaging 5 inches along FM140 from Frio Town through Pearsall to the Atascosa County line. A large part of the highway from Pearsall to the Atascosa County line received up to 8 inches of rain, with isolated totals to12 inches. High water trapped people in their homes. Just under two dozen homes as well as several businesses in Pearsall received flood damage. Several cars were also flooded out. One woman was rescued from her flooded home by helicopter. Most schools in the Pearsall area were closed on Monday due roads that were blocked. Widespread damage was reported to FM140 and bridges along the highway as well as to roads in Pearsall.

Flash Flood, Atascosa

When: September 8, 9:00 PM CST to September 9, 9:00 AM CST
Where: Atascosa County, Countywide
Property damage: $100,000
Crop damage: $50,000
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 28.894, -98.527 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

General 2 to 3 inch rainfall was indicated across the county with amounts averaging 5 inches along and south of a line along FM140 from the Frio County line to near Charlotte. Parts of this area received up to 11 inches of rain. Considerable damage was reported along FM140.

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, September 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: 5320744, 5320746, 5320745.