Flash Flooding and Hail in Texas, May 13 to 14, 2004

Name: Flash Flooding and Hail in Texas, May 13 to 14, 2004
Start: 2004-05-13T21:35
End: 2004-05-14T01:00
Location: Texas

May 13 to 14, 2004 · NWS EWX · 4 events in 3 counties and zones

2 hail, 2 flash flood, as filed by the National Weather Service.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 2 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: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 4

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 May 13, 7:50 PM CST, 1 hour 45 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 13, 7:50 PM CST, 1 hour 45 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AUSTIN/SAN ANTONIO TX
850 PM CDT THU MAY 13 2004

.UPDATE...
QUICK UPDATE OF ZONES AND GRIDS TO DEAL WITH TEMP/DEWPOINT ISSUES.

.PREVIOUS DISCUSSION...
SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE CONCENTRATED ON TWO BOUNDARIES THIS
EVENING. ONE BOUNDARY EXTENDS FROM CORPUS CHRISTI WESTWARD TO BIG
WELLS AND EAGLE PASS. ANOTHER BOUNDARY EXTENDS FROM OZONA NORTHEAST
TO BROWNWOOD. THE AIRMASS REMAINS VERY UNSTABLE ACROSS THE CWFA WITH
THE BEST INSTABILITY MAINLY WEST OF A LINE FROM BEEVILLE TO UVALDE
AND DEL RIO WHERE DEWPOINTS REMAIN IN THE 70S. EXPECT THE CONVECTION
TO THE SOUTH TO WANE AFTER MIDNIGHT WITH THE LOSS OF DAYTIME
HEATING.

MODEL SOLUTIONS STILL SUGGEST THAT THE CONVECTION TO THE NORTH WILL
SINK SOUTHWARD TONIGHT INTO FRIDAY...IN ADVANCE OF THE COLD FRONT.
NO CHANGES TO CURRENT FCST ATTM.

&&

.EWX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...FLOOD WATCH FOR FLASH FLOODING
IN EFFECT UNTIL 4 PM FRIDAY. SEVERE TSTM WATCH IN EFFECT UNTIL
MIDNIGHT FOR THE WESTERN HALF OF SOUTH CENTRAL TEXAS AND THE HILL
COUNTRY.

&&

13/03

Hazardous weather outlook, May 13, 8:00 AM CST, 13 hours 35 minutes before

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...UPDATE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AUSTIN/SAN ANTONIO TX
900 AM CDT THU MAY 13 2004

TXZ171>173-183>194-202>209-217>225-228-141100-
ATASCOSA-BANDERA-BASTROP-BEXAR-BLANCO-BURNET-CALDWELL-COMAL-DEWITT-
DIMMIT-EDWARDS-FAYETTE-FRIO-GILLESPIE-GONZALES-GUADALUPE-HAYS-KARNES-
KENDALL-KERR-KINNEY-LAVACA-LEE-LLANO-MAVERICK-MEDINA-REAL-TRAVIS-
UVALDE-VAL VERDE-WILLIAMSON-WILSON-ZAVALA-
900 AM CDT THU MAY 13 2004

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR SOUTH CENTRAL TEXAS.

.DAY ONE...
THERE IS A RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS TODAY...IN THE SECTOR EAST
OF INTERSTATE 35 AND NORTH OF INTERSTATE 10.  THIS INCLUDES THE
AUSTIN METROPOLITAN AREA EAST TO LAGRANGE AND LEXINGTON. THE MAIN
THREAT IS TORNADIC ACTIVITY WITH HAIL IN EXCESS OF 2 INCHES
DIAMETER.  OTHER THUNDERSTORMS IN THE REGION WILL BE SLOW MOVING
RESULTING IN HIGH RAINFALL AMOUNTS AND FLASH FLOODING.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...
CHANCES FOR THUNDERSTORMS INCREASE SIGNIFICANTLY ON FRIDAY...WITH
HEAVY RAIN AND FLASH FLOODING BEING THE MAIN THREAT.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...
SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED TODAY OR TONIGHT.

In the hours before

Local storm report, May 13, 5:44 PM CST, 3 hours 51 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AUSTIN/SAN ANTONIO TX
644 PM CDT THU MAY 13 2004

..TIME...   ...EVENT...     ...CITY LOCATION...      ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....     ..COUNTY LOCATION...ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0250 PM     HAIL             POTH                    29.07N 98.08W
05/13/2004  0.75 INCH        WILSON             TX   EMERGENCY MNGR

&&

PM

Local storm report, May 13, 6:44 PM CST, 2 hours 51 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AUSTIN/SAN ANTONIO TX
744 PM CDT THU MAY 13 2004

..TIME...   ...EVENT...     ...CITY LOCATION...      ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....     ..COUNTY LOCATION...ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0740 PM     HAIL             BIG WELLS               28.57N 99.57W
05/13/2004  1.00 INCH        DIMMIT             TX   CO-OP OBSERVER

&&

PM

Local storm report, May 13, 8:13 PM CST, 1 hour 22 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AUSTIN/SAN ANTONIO TX
913 PM CDT THU MAY 13 2004

..TIME...   ...EVENT...     ...CITY LOCATION...      ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....     ..COUNTY LOCATION...ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0850 PM     HAIL             HARPER                  30.30N 99.25W
05/13/2004  2.75 INCH        GILLESPIE          TX   LAW ENFORCEMENT

&&

PM

Local storm report, May 13, 8:16 PM CST, 1 hour 19 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AUSTIN/SAN ANTONIO TX
916 PM CDT THU MAY 13 2004

..TIME...   ...EVENT...     ...CITY LOCATION...      ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....     ..COUNTY LOCATION...ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0830 PM     FLOOD            FALLS CITY              28.98N 98.02W
05/13/2004                   KARNES             TX   LAW ENFORCEMENT

            HIGHWAY 887 AND COUNTY ROAD 3191 NEAR FALLS CITY CLOSED.

&&

PM

Local storm report, May 13, 8:17 PM CST, 1 hour 18 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AUSTIN/SAN ANTONIO TX
917 PM CDT THU MAY 13 2004

..TIME...   ...EVENT...     ...CITY LOCATION...      ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....     ..COUNTY LOCATION...ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0830 PM     FLOOD            WAELDER                 29.69N 97.30W
05/13/2004                   GONZALES           TX   LAW ENFORCEMENT

            FARM TO MARKET RAOD 1125 NORTH OF WAELDER CLOSED

&&

PM

Local storm report, May 13, 8:19 PM CST, 1 hour 16 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AUSTIN/SAN ANTONIO TX
919 PM CDT THU MAY 13 2004

..TIME...   ...EVENT...     ...CITY LOCATION...      ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....     ..COUNTY LOCATION...ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0850 PM     FLOOD            HALLETTSVILLE           29.44N 96.94W
05/13/2004                   LAVACA             TX   LAW ENFORCEMENT

            EDNA STREET IN HALLETTSVILLE CLOSED

&&

PM

The radar

The Austin/San Antonio radar (KEWX), 26 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 03:35 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

2 hail, 2 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Hail, Caldwell

When: May 13, 9:35 PM CST to 9:45 PM CST
Where: Caldwell County, Martindale
Measured: 0.88 in hail
Reported by: GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates: 29.850, -97.817

Hail, Blanco

When: May 13, 10:00 PM CST to 10:10 PM CST
Where: Blanco County, Blanco
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Reported by: GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates: 30.100, -98.417

Flash Flood, Caldwell

When: May 13, 10:00 PM CST to May 14, 1:00 AM CST
Where: Caldwell County, Countywide
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 29.837, -97.620 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Thunderstorms produced general 1 to 2 inch rainfall over Caldwell County, with up to 3 inches west of Lockhart. Several roads between Martindale and Lockhart were closed due to flash flooding.

Flash Flood, Wilson

When: May 13, 10:00 PM CST to May 14, 1:00 AM CST
Where: Wilson County, Countywide
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 29.174, -98.087 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Between one-half inch and one inch of rain fell across Wilson County. Isolated totals in the county were near 3 inches. Flash flooding began just before midnight and ended shortly after midnight.

What these are

Hail: Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.
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 2004 Every state in 2004 This day in weather history Warnings in Texas, May 2004

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: 5398131, 5398132, 5399730, 5399731.