Flash Flooding in Texas, September 24, 2005

Name: Flash Flooding in Texas, September 24, 2005
Start: 2005-09-24T09:00
End: 2005-09-24T10:00
Location: Texas

September 24, 2005 · NWS LCH · 2 events in 2 counties and zones

Hurricane Rita produced over 10 inches of rain in parts of Jasper and Tyler counties, resulting in some serious street flooding.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it. 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: $20,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 2

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 LCH wrote it up.

Hurricane Rita produced over 10 inches of rain in parts of Jasper and Tyler counties, resulting in some serious street flooding.

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 Lake Charles, LA wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Sep 24, 2:00 AM CST, 7 hours earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Sep 24, 2:00 AM CST, 7 hours before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES LA
300 AM CDT SAT SEP 24 2005

.DISCUSSION...FIRST EXPERIENCE IN A HURRICANE FOR THIS ILLINOIS BOY.
PARTICULARLY MISSING HOME RIGHT NOW. SOUNDS AS IF A 747 IS SITTING
UPON THE ROOF REVVING ITS ENGINES. WIND EQUIPMENT HAS FAILED HERE
BUT BELIEVE WE ARE NOW SEEING WINDS POSSIBLY IN A 70 TO 90 KNOT
RANGE HERE AT LAKE CHARLES. NOS GAUGE AT CALCASIEU PASS REPORTED A
GUST TO 112 MPH...AND THEN FAILED. ANTICIPATING A 15 TO 20 FOOT
STORM SURGE AND UNSURE AT THIS TIME IF THIS WILL IMPACT US. WAS JUST
INFORMED THAT AIRPORT TERMINAL NEXT TO OFFICE HAS COLLAPSED. JUST
HAD A BRIEF COMMS FAILURE BUT NOW BACK UP. UNFORTUNATELY...SINCE WE
ARE NOW IN A DIAL BACKUP MODE...WILL BE UNABLE TO UPDATE GRIDS AND
WILL TURN THIS RESPONSIBILITY OVER TO OUR CURRENT BACKUP OFFICE SAN
ANTONIO. WE WILL MAINTAIN SHORT-TERM
RESPONSIBILITY...NOWCASTS...HLSS...TAFS...WARNINGS...AS LONG AS WE
HOLD TOGETHER.

RITA CURRENTLY MOVING ONSHORE OVER EXTREME SOUTHWEST CAMERON PARISH
ON A NORTH NORTHWEST TRACK...AND RIGHT ON WITH NHC FORECAST TRACK.
SYSTEM PROGGED TO CONTINUE GENERAL MOTION ACROSS SOUTHEAST TEXAS
TODAY WITH DAMAGING WINDS AND TORRENTIAL RAINS.

INPORTANT TO NOTE THAT LATEST MODELS INDICATING SYSTEM WILL NOT
STALL ACROSS REGION...THUS WILL SEE SIGNIFICANTLY LOWER RAINFALL
TOTALS GOING INTO THE NEW WEEK. JUST A BIT OF GOOD NEWS TO END ON.

FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION REGARDING HURRICANE RITA...PLEASE REFER
TO THE LATEST ADVISORIES FROM THE NATIONAL HURRICANCE CENER...AND
THE FOLLOWING PRODUCTS ISSUED BY THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE
OFFICE IN LAKE CHARLES.

HURRICANE LOCAL STATEMENT:  PIL - NEWHLSLCH
INLAND HURRICANE/TROPICAL STORM WARNINGS:  PIL - NEWNPWLCH
FLOOD WATCH: PIL - NEWFFALCH

GOOD LUCK TO EVERYONE.

&&

.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS...
KLCH  77  83  79  85 / 100 100  90  60
KBPT  77  84  79  86 / 100 100  80  60
KAEX  75  82  75  83 / 100 100 100  80
KLFT  77  84  78  85 / 100 100  90  60

&&

.LCH WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
LA...INLAND HURRICANE WARNING UNTIL 8 PM SATURDAY FOR THE FOLLOWING
     ZONES: ALLEN...BEAUREGARD...CALCASIEU...CAMERON...IBERIA...
     JEFFERSON DAVIS...LOWER ST. MARTIN...ST. MARY...VERMILION...
     AND VERNON.

     HURRICANE WARNING FOR THE FOLLOWING ZONES:
     CAMERON...IBERIA...ST. MARY...AND VERMILION.

     FLASH FLOOD WATCH THROUGH SUNDAY FOR THE FOLLOWING ZONES:
     ACADIA...ALLEN...AVOYELLES...BEAUREGARD...
     CALCASIEU...CAMERON...EVANGELINE...IBERIA...JEFFERSON
     DAVIS...LAFAYETTE...LOWER ST. MARTIN...RAPIDES...ST. LANDRY...ST.
     MARY...UPPER ST. MARTIN...VERMILION...AND VERNON.

     INLAND TROPICAL STORM WARNING UNTIL 8 PM SATURDAY FOR THE
     FOLLOWING ZONES: ACADIA...AVOYELLES...EVANGELINE...
     LAFAYETTE...RAPIDES...ST. LANDRY...AND UPPER ST. MARTIN.

     TORNADO WATCH IN EFFECT UNTIL 6 AM SATURDAY FOR THE FOLLOWING
     ZONES: VERNON...RAPIDES...AVOYELLES...BEAUREGARD...ALLEN...
     EVANGELINE...ST. LANDRY...CALCASIEU...JEFFERSON DAVIS...ACADIA...
     LAFAYETTE...UPPER ST. MARTIN...CAMERON...VERMILION...IBERIA...ST.
     MARY...AND LOWER ST. MARTIN.

TX...FLASH FLOOD WATCH THROUGH SUNDAY FOR THE FOLLOWING ZONES:
     HARDIN...JASPER...JEFFERSON...NEWTON...ORANGE...AND TYLER.

     INLAND HURRICANE WARNING UNTIL 8 PM SATURDAY FOR THE FOLLOWING
     ZONES: HARDIN...JASPER...JEFFERSON...NEWTON...ORANGE...AND
     TYLER.

     HURRICANE WARNING FOR THE FOLLOWING ZONES:
     JEFFERSON...AND ORANGE.

     TORNADO WATCH IN EFFECT UNTIL 6 AM SATURDAY FOR THE FOLLOWING
     ZONES: HARDIN...JASPER...JEFFERSON...NEWTON...ORANGE...AND
     TYLER.

GM...HURRICANE WARNING FOR THE FOLLOWING ZONES: ALL COASTAL WATERS.

     TORNADO WATCH IN EFFECT UNTIL 6 AM SATURDAY FOR GMZ450-455.

&&

MARCOTTE

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

2 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Flash Flood, Jasper

When: September 24, 9:00 AM CST to 10:00 AM CST
Where: Jasper County, Countywide
Property damage: $10,000
Reported by: NWS STORM SURVEY
Coordinates: 30.717, -94.000

Flash Flood, Tyler

When: September 24, 9:00 AM CST to 10:00 AM CST
Where: Tyler County, Countywide
Property damage: $10,000
Reported by: NWS STORM SURVEY
Coordinates: 30.767, -94.350

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 2005 Every state in 2005 This day in weather history Warnings in Texas, September 2005

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: 5475150, 5475151.