Flash Flood and Damaging Winds in Texas, July 23, 2003

Name: Flash Flood and Damaging Winds in Texas, July 23, 2003
Start: 2003-07-23T12:45
End: 2003-07-23T17:45
Location: Texas

July 23, 2003 · NWS EWX · 6 events in 5 counties and zones

5 thunderstorm wind, 1 flash flood, as filed by the National Weather Service.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 1 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: 1
Property damage: $273,000
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 Austin/San Antonio, TX wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jul 23, 11:05 AM CST, 1 hour 40 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jul 23, 11:05 AM CST, 1 hour 40 minutes before

SOUTH CENTRAL TEXAS FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AUSTIN/SAN ANTONIO TX
1205 PM CDT WED JUL 23 2003

OUTFLOW BNDRY FROM NORTH AND NORTHEAST CONTINUES TO MOVE SOUTH AND
SOUTHWEST...CAUSING AN INCREASING CHC OF RAIN FROM SHRA AND TSRA.
INCREASED CHC OF RAIN IN 1205 PM ZONE FORECAST UPDATE...AND CONTD
SOME PSBLY SVR EAST PART OF CWA FOR THE AFTN AND PSBLY PART OF EARLY
EVE.

THURSDAY WEATHER PATTERN CONTINUES TO SHOW HIGH ALOFT BUILDING OVER
AREA FROM THE WEST AND NORTHWEST...WITH SOME MARGINAL INSTABILITY
OVER THE EAST PART OF SOUTH CENTRAL TEXAS.  WILL CONT TO SHOW A SLGT
CHANCE OF SHRA/TSRA FOR EAST AND SOUTHEAST PART OF SOUTH CENTRAL
TEXAS FOR THURSDAY.   08/01/WR

PREVIOUS DISCUSSION...
NEW MESO ETA INDICATES WEAK FRONT WILL REMAIN NORTH OF CWA AND THEN
DISSIPATE.  FOCUS FOR PRECIP WILL BE MCS AND ATTENDANT OUTFLOW
BOUNDARIES MOVING DOWN FROM NE TEXAS.  WILL MAINTAIN POPS AS
PREVIOUSLY MENTIONED.

MESO ETA AND GFS HAVE WEAK FRONT SAGGING SOUTH INTO NE CWA BY NOON
AND INTO CENTRAL ZONES BY LATE AFTERNOON.  FRONT BECOMES DIFFUSE
TONIGHT.  WILL GO WITH SPC OUTLOOK AND INCLUDE SOME SEVERE
THUNDERSTORMS POSSIBLE EAST AND CENTRAL THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING
WITH DOWN BURST WINDS THE MAIN THREAT.  POPS LIMITED TO SEA BREEZE
ACTIVITY MAINLY SE THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY.  TEMPS A BIT COOLER
MAINLY NORTH NEXT COUPLE OF DAYS WITH VALUES CLOSE TO MAV GUIDANCE.
BACK TO NEAR SEASONAL NORMALS FRIDAY.

PRELIMS...
AUS 090 069 095 070 6100
DRT 097 074 098 076 2200
SAT 091 073 094 074 5100

.EWX...NONE.

3/6

Hazardous weather outlook, Jul 23, 4:22 AM CST, 8 hours 23 minutes before

TXZ171>173-183>194-202>209-217>225-228-241100-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AUSTIN/SAN ANTONIO TX
522 AM CDT WED JUL 23 2003

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR SOUTH CENTRAL TEXAS.

.DAY ONE...TODAY...THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS
LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND THIS EVENING. THE THREAT AREA IS ALONG AND
EAST OF A LINE FROM  CUERO TO SAN ANTONIO TO  LBJ STATE PARK TO
GRANGER LAKE.  THE THUNDERSTORMS WILL HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO PRODUCE
DAMAGING WINDS.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...

NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE REQUIRED.

The radar

The Austin/San Antonio radar (KEWX), 74 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 18:42 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

5 thunderstorm wind, 1 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Blanco

When: July 23, 12:45 PM CST to 1:10 PM CST
Where: Blanco County, Johnson City
Measured: 60 kt (69 mph) estimated gust
Property damage: $50,000
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 30.283, -98.400

As a cold front tracked southward into the Texas Hill Country near noon on July 23, a line of thunderstorms that had formed along the front moved toward the south and southwest. As the line moved into southern Blanco County, it produced a downburst estimated at 60 knots that blew down hundreds of trees. No other damage was indicated.

Thunderstorm Wind, Kendall

When: July 23, 1:45 PM CST to 2:05 PM CST
Where: Kendall County, Waring
Measured: 60 kt (69 mph) estimated gust
Injuries: 1 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $50,000
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 29.950, -98.800

The east-west oriented line of thunderstorms associated with the cold front continued to move southward through Blanco County. As it moved into the southern part of the county, it produced a downburst between Warning and Sisterdale that knocked over many trees. One person was injured when struck by debris.

Thunderstorm Wind, Bandera

When: July 23, 3:00 PM CST to 3:15 PM CST
Where: Bandera County, Medina Lake
Measured: 60 kt (69 mph) estimated gust
Property damage: $80,000
Reported by: GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates: 29.600, -98.983

As the line of thunderstorms moved through the eastern part of Bandera County, it produced a downburst that damaged roofs of homes and knocked over trees in the Lakehills area of Medina Lake.

Thunderstorm Wind, Kinney

When: July 23, 3:45 PM CST to 3:55 PM CST
Where: Kinney County, Brackettville
Measured: 60 kt (69 mph) estimated gust
Property damage: $50,000
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 29.317, -100.417

As the east-west oriented line of thunderstorms associated with the cold front moved southward through Kinney County, it produced a downburst that damaged the roofs of homes in Fort Clark Springs in the south part of Brackettville.

Flash Flood, Val Verde

When: July 23, 4:54 PM CST to 5:45 PM CST
Where: Val Verde County, West Portion
Property damage: $3,000
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 29.893, -101.152 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Additional rainfall of up to 2 inches over the western half of Val Verde County caused brief flash flooding in the late afternoon. Several low water crossings were closed by the Sheriff's Department and guarded to prevent their being used by the public.

Thunderstorm Wind, Val Verde

When: July 23, 5:00 PM CST to 5:15 PM CST
Where: Val Verde County, Del Rio
Measured: 60 kt (69 mph) estimated gust
Property damage: $40,000
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 29.367, -100.900

Downburst winds from the line of thunderstorms flipped over a trailer at Del Rio. The trailer was located in the south part of the city near the Rio Grande.

What these are

Thunderstorm Wind: Winds from a thunderstorm of 50 knots (58 mph) or more, or lower winds that caused damage or casualties. Measured gusts are marked MG, estimated EG.
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 2003 Every state in 2003 This day in weather history Warnings in Texas, July 2003

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: 5375443, 5375444, 5375445, 5375446, 5376474, 5376475.