A highly moist air mass streaming in from a Pacific moisture plume, along with southwestern disturbances originating from western Pacific Hurricane Odile, initiated numerous areas of rain with embedded thunderstorms. Localized cells produced high rainfall rates over Houston that caused urban flooding.
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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.
The episode as NWS HGX wrote it up.
A highly moist air mass streaming in from a Pacific moisture plume, along with southwestern disturbances originating from western Pacific Hurricane Odile, initiated numerous areas of rain with embedded thunderstorms. Localized cells produced high rainfall rates over Houston that caused urban flooding.
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 16, 2:15 PM CST, 1 hour 55 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HOUSTON/GALVESTON TX 315 PM CDT TUE SEP 16 2014 .DISCUSSION... SCATTERED TO NUMEROUS SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS HAVE DEVELOPED TODAY ACROSS THE AREA...WITH THE GREATEST CONCENTRATION SO FAR IN OUR CENTRAL AND COASTAL COUNTIES AND ALSO OVER THE GULF WATERS. WITH AT LEAST A COUPLE MORE DAYS (WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY) OF PRECIPITABLE WATER VALUES EXPECTED TO PERSIST WELL ABOVE 2 INCHES...MORE SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS CAN BE EXPECTED UNDER A STEADY ONSHORE FLOW. ADDITIONAL MOISTURE/LIFT IN THE FORM OF HARD TO TIME MID/UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCES EJECTING OUT OF ODILE'S CIRCULATION OUT WEST COULD END UP SUPPORTING THE AREA'S PROLONGED STORM DEVELOPMENT. WILL CONTINUE TO CARRY CHANCE/LIKELY POPS FOR THE NEXT SEVERAL DAYS...WITH SOME SPOTS EVEN GETTING SOME OF THEIR RAINFALL DURING THE OVERNIGHT HOURS. LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL CONTINUES TO BE POSSIBLE...AND WOULD NOT BE SURPRISED TO SEE SOME LOCATIONS WITH DAILY TOTALS IN A 2 TO 4 INCH RANGE. IF THESE TOTALS OCCUR OVER THE SAME SPOTS...LOCALIZED FLOODING WILL HAPPEN. AT THIS TIME...A FLOOD WATCH IS NOT NEEDED. IF ACCUMULATIONS START TO ADD UP...FLOOD WATCHES WILL BE POSSIBLE. AT THIS TIME...IT LOOKS LIKE LESS COVERAGE CAN BE EXPECTED AS WE HEAD ON INTO THE WEEKEND. A COLD FRONT IS STILL ANTICIPATED TO MOVE THROUGH THE AREA SOME TIME ON MONDAY OR MONDAY NIGHT. 42 && .MARINE... SCATTERED TO NUMEROUS SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS OVER THE WATERS TODAY HAVE STARTED TO DECREASE IN COVERAGE. COVERAGE WILL BRIEFLY PICK UP AGAIN IN THE TOMORROW MORNING BEFORE TRANSITIONING INLAND DURING THE AFTERNOON. ONSHORE FLOW WILL REMAIN GENERALLY SOUTHEASTERLY THROUGH THE REMAINDER OF THE FORECAST. GFS AND ECMWF IN DECENT AGREEMENT WITH ANOTHER COLD FRONT MOVING INTO THE COASTAL WATERS LATE MONDAY OR EARLY TUESDAY. THE STRENGTH OF WINDS OVER THE WATERS TUESDAY THROUGH NEXT WEEK REMAIN IN DISAGREEMENT THOUGH. WILL CONTINUE TO LOOK FOR MORE CONSISTENCY IN FUTURE MODEL RUNS. 23 && .PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 1205 PM CDT TUE SEP 16 2014/ DISCUSSION... SEE AVIATION FOR 18Z TAF ISSUANCE. AVIATION... SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE STARTING TO FORM AND CONCENTRATE INLAND THIS AFTERNOON. THIS APPEARS TO BE ALONG A BOUNDARY AT 850 MB. CURRENTS PWATS FROM GPS MET ARE AROUND 2.20" WITH K INDEX VALUES IN THE MID 30S. LIFT TODAY WILL COME FROM DAY TIME HEATING AND A TROPICAL WAVE CURRENTLY MOVING INTO MEXICO. HIGH RES MODELS ARE SHOWING PRECIP CONTINUING TO EXPAND IN COVERAGE INLAND AND EVENTUALLY FILLING IN TODAY. COVERAGE WILL LIKELY FILL AROUND INTERSTATE 10 NORTH TO ABOUT KUTS. HIGH RES MODELS THEN QUICKLY DISSIPATE SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS THIS EVENING. EXPECT SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS TO REDEVELOP TOMORROW AS HIGH MOISTURE VALUES REMAIN IN PLACE. 23 && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... COLLEGE STATION (CLL) 74 90 74 90 72 / 30 60 30 60 20 HOUSTON (IAH) 74 89 74 89 74 / 30 60 30 60 20 GALVESTON (GLS) 79 87 79 87 78 / 40 60 40 60 30 && .HGX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... TX...NONE. GM...NONE. && DISCUSSION...42 AVIATION/MARINE...23
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HOUSTON/GALVESTON TX 740 AM CDT TUE SEP 16 2014 GMZ330-335-350-355-370-375-TXZ163-164-176>179-195>200-210>214-226- 227-235>238-171245- AUSTIN-BRAZORIA-BRAZOS-BURLESON-CHAMBERS-COLORADO-FORT BEND- GALVESTON-GALVESTON BAY-GRIMES-HARRIS-HOUSTON-JACKSON-LIBERTY- MADISON-MATAGORDA-MATAGORDA BAY-MONTGOMERY-POLK-SAN JACINTO- TRINITY-WALKER-WALLER-WASHINGTON- WATERS FROM FREEPORT TO THE MATAGORDA SHIP CHANNEL 20 NM TO 60 NM- WATERS FROM FREEPORT TO THE MATAGORDA SHIP CHANNEL OUT 20 NM- WATERS FROM HIGH ISLAND TO FREEPORT 20 TO 60 NM- WATERS FROM HIGH ISLAND TO FREEPORT OUT 20 NM-WHARTON- 740 AM CDT TUE SEP 16 2014 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTHEAST TEXAS. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE TO DEVELOP AND MOVE INLAND TODAY AS DEEP MOISTURE ASSOCIATED WITH A WEAK TROPICAL WAVE MOVES IN FROM THE GULF. STORM COVERAGE SHOULD INCREASE OVER CENTRAL LOCATIONS THROUGH THE AFTERNOON AND EVENING WITH DAYTIME HEATING. RAINFALL TOTALS SHOULD AVERAGE FROM ONE HALF TO ONE INCH WITH ISOLATED TOTALS FROM 3 TO 4 INCHES AREAS WHERE STORMS TRAIN. IN ADDITION...GIVEN THE TROPICAL AIRMASS IN PLACE...WE COULD ALSO SEE ATMOSPHERIC CONDITIONS THAT MAY BE FAVORABLE FOR FUNNEL CLOUDS AND OR WATERSPOUTS. THESE TYPICALLY OCCUR DURING THE MORNING THROUGH EARLY AFTERNOON HOURS. THE FUNNELS RARELY EXTEND ALL THE WAY TO THE SURFACE BUT CAN PRODUCE MINOR DAMAGE IF THEY DO. MARINERS SHOULD REMAIN CLEAR OF WATERSPOUTS AS THEY CAN PRODUCE WINDS IN EXCESS OF 40 KNOTS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY SCATTERED TO NUMEROUS SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED FOR WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY AS DEEP TROPICAL MOISTURE LINGERS OVER THE REGION. LOCALIZED HEAVY RAINFALL WILL REMAIN A THREAT. OTHERWISE NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY NOT BE NEEDED TODAY OR TONIGHT.
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HOUSTON/GALVESTON TX
209 PM CDT TUE SEP 16 2014
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0155 PM FUNNEL CLOUD 3 W ARCOLA 29.50N 95.51W
09/16/2014 FORT BEND TX TRAINED SPOTTER
A FUNNEL CLOUD WAS SIGHTED SOUTH OF THE FORT BEND TOLL
ROAD AT HIGHWAY 6.
&&
EVENT NUMBER HGX1400188
BLOODPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HOUSTON/GALVESTON TX
311 PM CDT TUE SEP 16 2014
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0302 PM FUNNEL CLOUD 4 SE EL CAMPO 29.16N 96.23W
09/16/2014 WHARTON TX EMERGENCY MNGR
FUNNEL CLOUD SIGHTING AT FM 414 AND FM 1162 JUST
SOUTHEAST OF EL CAMPO.
&&
EVENT NUMBER HGX1400189
DHThe Houston radar (KHGX), 45 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 22:09 UTC.
1 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.
Water flowing over Washington Avenue and Memorial Heights Blvd closed Washington Avenue.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Texas in 2014Every state in 2014This day in weather historyWarnings in Texas, September 2014
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: 543901.