Major Hurricane Harvey impacted the Middle Texas coast on August 25th and 26th. Harvey was the first category 4 hurricane to strike Texas since Hurricane Carla in 1961. Harvey severely affected the cities of Rockport, Fulton, Port Aransas, Aransas Pass, Ingleside, Holiday Beach, and Refugio. Minor to moderate damage occurred in cities of Portland, Corpus Christi, Seadrift, Woodsboro, Port Lavaca, Goliad, and Victoria.
Harvey weakened to a tropical wave as the system moved across the Caribbean Sea and the Yucatan peninsula from August 18th until the 22nd. Harvey formed into a tropical depression over the southern Gulf of Mexico on the morning of August 23rd. Harvey rapidly intensified from a tropical depression to a major hurricane in 40 hours as it moved northwest toward the Texas coast. Harvey continued to intensify as it approached the Middle Texas coast on August 25th and made landfall as a Category 4 hurricane during the evening hours. Harvey was the first major hurricane to make landfall on the Middle Texas coast since Hurricane Celia in August of 1970.
Hurricane Harvey slowed down after landfall and weakened into a tropical storm on the afternoon of the 26th. Tropical Storm Harvey became nearly stationary west of Cuero from the evening of the 26th through the morning of the 27th. Harvey drifted southeastward across the Victoria Crossroads on the afternoon of the 27th. Harvey then moved into Matagorda Bay during the morning hours of the 28th and back into northwest Gulf of Mexico later that afternoon. Tropical storm conditions persisted near the northern portion of the Middle Texas coast into the early morning hours of the 29th.
Hurricane Harvey moved inland in Aransas County on San Jose Island around 830 PM CDT August 25th. Harvey had a minimum central pressure of 938 millibars and produced a maximum storm surge of 12.5 feet. Maximum sustained winds were estimated at 130 mph (115 knots) with gusts to 160 mph (140 knots). In South Texas, the maximum recorded rainfall from Hurricane Harvey was 17.08 inches 4 miles northwest of Victoria. Radar estimates were close to 20 inches over eastern portions of Refugio County. The height of the storm tide, referenced to mean higher high water, ranged from 3 to 5 feet on northern Padre Island and around Port O'Connor to a maximum of 12.5 feet in northeast Aransas County in the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge near San Antonio Bay. Storm tide levels in the interior bays were generally from 5 to 8 feet with higher amounts near 10 feet on the south end of Copano Bay, the north end of Aransas Bay, and the north end of Lavaca Bay.
There were no direct fatalities from Hurricane Harvey on the Middle Texas Coast. There were 2 indirect fatalities in Rockport and 1 near Bloomington. All of the associated affects from Hurricane Harvey in South Texas from August 25th to August 27th resulted in 14 injuries, $4.5 billion in property damage, and around $65 million in crop damage. Specifically in South Texas, Harvey's inland flooding resulted in $5 million in property damage. One tornado near Seadrift resulted in $10 thousand in property damage. The powerful winds resulted in 14 injuries, $4 billion in property damage, and $65 million in crop damage. The storm tide resulted in $530 million in property damage and a number of drowned livestock. Damage estimates to public property and infrastructure was $130 million in South Texas.
Hurricane Harvey blew down or damaged around 550 power transmission structures. American Electric Power (AEP) repaired or replaced around 5000 distribution poles that were blown down or damaged by Harvey. Almost four million total feet of transmission and distribution conductor were replaced, approximately 712 miles. Power was restored to around 200,000 customers within 2 weeks.
In Aransas County, widespread major damage occurred across the county with a few areas having catastrophic damage. Catastrophic damage was located across Copano Village, Holiday Beach, and Lamar with many homes, some elevated, with second stories completely collapsed. Nearly every structure was greatly impacted. A couple of brick homes were destroyed near Copano Village. Catastrophic damage occurred to homes in the Copano Ridge area. Nearly all the trees in the Holiday Beach, Lamar, and Goose Island State Park area were without leaves with many trees snapped or uprooted. Most of Rockport and Fulton experienced widespread major structural damage. Several homes in the Key Allegro subdivision collapsed. Exterior walls collapsed on the high school gymnasium, on several churches, and on several new hotels. Upper floors of several apartment buildings were removed. Mobile homes and recreational vehicles were demolished. Billboard signs were blown down. Numerous power poles were blown down or snapped. Six hangars were demolished at the Aransas County Airport along with many airplanes. The county remained without power for 2 to 3 weeks. A mesonet wind sensor at Aransas County Airport recorded sustained winds around 110 mph with a peak gust to 150 mph. Nearly 1500 homes were destroyed, almost 3800 homes suffered major damage, and 5350 homes suffered minor damage. There were 175 businesses with major damage. Storm surge greatly impacted Holiday Beach and Copano Village. The surge punched holes through walls and garage doors on the lower portions of most homes. The surge floated vehicles, recreational vehicles, and boats well inland. The surge approached and flowed across Egery Island Road and Farm to Market 136 in several locations south of Bayside in extreme western Aransas County. Numerous cattle were killed north of Holiday Beach. A large portion of Rattlesnake Point Road was eroded and washed away heading out to Redfish Lodge on Copano Bay. The pier south of the lodge was completely washed away. Storm surge of 4 to 5 feet was common across the county. The maximum storm surge of 12.5 feet occurred in the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge. There were 356 homes that received major damage from storm surge and there were 1126 homes that received minor damage from storm surge. There were 1200 homes that were affected by storm surge. From NOAA photos, there were 14 cuts formed on the southern end of San Jose Island.
In Nueces County, the most significant damage was in Port Aransas where widespread major damage occurred. There were 4170 homes that received major damage and 1036 homes destroyed. Most homes suffered major roof damage while some homes lost roofs and walls collapsed. There were 457 businesses with major damage and slightly more than 1100 homes with minor damage. Mobile homes and recreational vehicles were demolished. Numerous power poles were blown down or snapped. The roofs were damaged at the elementary, middle, and high schools for Port Aransas leading to water damage in the interior. In Corpus Christi, widespread minor property damage was common due to lost shingles and fences down. Some residences and businesses experienced moderate damage mainly across the northern part of the city. Taller buildings downtown suffered more significant damage and lost signs. A few highway signs were blown down. Minor roof damage was common to residences and business in North Padre Island with some areas with moderate damage. Peak wind gusts measured were around 130 mph in Port Aransas. Storm tides were from 6 to 8 feet in Port Aransas as the storm surge entered from the west from Corpus Christi and Redfish Bays. Numerous boats were damaged or destroyed and pushed out of their moorings onto high ground. A large drill boat broke loose, destroyed a pier, and became grounded along the jetty. Two tugs broke loose near the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway with one becoming grounded and the other sinking. Two ferries were damaged when they were pinned against the loading dock. The storm surge inundated Highway 361 along a 10 miles stretch from near the Mustang Island State Park to Port Aransas with the water several feet deep. A few boats became moored near Packery Channel. The Arnold Palmer designed golf course at Palmilla Beach south of Port Aransas was inundated by storm surge with water covering most of the course. Storm tide of 4 to 6 feet impacted residences and businesses in Padre Island from the Laguna Madre. Storm surge caused major damage to 520 homes and minor damage to 1327 homes. Storm surge affected an additional 2200 homes. The Port of Corpus Christi was shutdown for a record 6 days. Port Aransas Independent School District lost 8 buses due to damage from salt water.
In Calhoun County, minor to moderate property damage was common across the city of Port Lavaca with large areas of siding removed from a few well constructed homes. The tops of grain bins in Port Lavaca were peeled off. Numerous trees were blown down in the community of Seadrift. Many homes experienced minor to moderate roof and property damage. Some poorly constructed homes experienced major roof damage. In Port O'Connor, numerous trees were blown down with three quarters of the community experiencing minor roof damage. A few power poles were blown down. Minor to moderate roof damage occurred at Magnolia Beach, Alamo Beach, and Indianola. Over 2100 homes and 72 businesses received major damage while 421 homes were destroyed. There were 1865 homes with minor damage and 1575 homes affected. There was significant damage to the cotton crop in the county. Hundreds of acres unharvested cotton were ruined in the fields. Harvested cotton in modules and bales were damaged by the wind or blown into water filled ditches. The highest wind speed measured was 82 mph with gusts to 110 mph northwest of Seadrift. Storm tides averaged from 6 to 8 feet across Calhoun County with maximum tide levels around 10 feet recorded on the north end of Lavaca Bay while lower tides from 3 to 5 feet occurred from Port O'Connor to southeast of Seadrift next to Espiritu Santo Bay. In Port Lavaca, water from Chocolate Bay inundated the public boat ramp near Buren Road. The lower half of Buren Road was inundated. The entire marina along Lavaca Bay was strongly impacted with 16 boats declared a total loss with many of them sinking in the marina. Several boats were grounded next to the marina. The Bayfront Peninsula Park was inundated. Areas east of Broadway street were inundated with water reaching across Highway 35 in the area near Lighthouse Beach. Piers at Lighthouse Beach Park and Bayfront Peninsula Park were destroyed. Nearly the entire marina in Seadrift was inundated from storm surge with several boats grounded on the marina parking lot. Most of the wooden docks at the marina and a few wooden piers were destroyed. The storm surge reached Bay Avenue almost reaching the beachfront pavilion. Storm surge entered homes near the Bay Avenue and Orange Street intersection. In Magnolia Beach and Indianola, storm surge flooded nearly all of Magnolia Public Beach and crossed North Ocean Drive in a few spots. A few areas of South Ocean Drive near Indianola were inundated. Several older wooden docks and piers were destroyed. In Port O'Connor, storm surge from Matagorda Bay reached half of the way up Kingfisher Beach toward Park Street. The storm surge caused major damage to 56 homes, minor damage to 322 homes, and affected 446 homes across the county. A thousand foot cut was made through Matagorda Island.
In San Patricio County, the worst damage was confined to the eastern half of the county. Almost 8700 homes were affected by the hurricane. There were 155 homes destroyed, 425 homes with major damage, and slightly more than 3300 homes with minor damage. There were 72 businesses with major damage. The hardest hit areas were Aransas Pass and Ingleside where major damage occurred. Widespread roof damage and tree damage occurred in this area. Numerous large power poles were blown down across the eastern half of the county. The water tower in Aransas Pass was destroyed. Roof damage led to extensive interior damage to the Care Regional Medical Center in Aransas Pass. Power outage was widespread with some areas without power for over a week. There was widespread minor roof damage and fences blown down in Portland along with a few trees blown down. Minor roof damage occurred in Taft and a car wash was destroyed. A couple of grain silos at the Midway Gin near Taft were toppled over. Crop damage to cotton stored in modules occurred in the eastern part of the county. The peak wind recorded was in Aransas Pass with sustained wind speed of 100 mph with gusts to 135 mph at Conn Brown Harbor. Survey from the United States Geologic Survey (USGS) indicated a storm tide of around 4 feet impacted the area from Ingleside On-the-Bay to Aransas Pass. Numerous wooden piers and docks were damaged or destroyed. A couple of boats were damaged in the Conn Brown Harbor in Aransas Pass. Major flooding was experienced in the low part of Aransas Pass adjacent to the levee. One home suffered major damage from storm surge while 40 homes had minor damage. Around 540 homes were affected by storm surge.
In Refugio County, widespread moderate structural damage with pockets of major structural damage occurred in Refugio. Most homes and businesses had roof damage, broken windows, and damaged garage doors. Two motels received significant damage to their roofs. Gas station canopies and many signs were destroyed. A few brick structures experienced moderate damage. Numerous trees and power poles were blown down. Roof damage occurred to several churches, every school building in the district except for the athletic facility. The school gymnasiums and auditorium lost portion of their roofs. Several trailer homes and storage buildings were destroyed. There was widespread tree damage with a few very large trees completely uprooted. Widespread moderate structural damage occurred in Bayside, Austwell, and Tivoli. Numerous trees and power poles were blown down including some high tension power poles. In Woodsboro, widespread minor to moderate damage occurred with a few poorly constructed homes with major damage. The elementary gymnasium and auditorium roofs were blown off. Numerous trees and a few power poles were blown down. The Bayside Richardson Coop Gin near Woodsboro sustained major damage and 30 thousand bales of cotton in storage modules were damaged. A sensor deployed by Texas Tech measured sustained winds of 106 mph with gusts to 125 mph just west of Mission Bay before the sensor was hit by debris. Another sensor showed wind speed of 102 mph with gusts to 129 mph north of the intersection of Highway 35 and Farm to Market Road 774 in eastern Refugio County. Around 440 homes were destroyed, around 1050 homes experienced major damage, and 66 businesses suffered major damage. Around 750 homes had minor damage with another 310 homes affected. Storm tide varied across the bay areas of the county. The higher storm tides affected the northeast part of the county as the storm surge pushed in from San Antonio Bay. Storm surge reached 10 feet east of Tivoli near the mouth of the Guadalupe River. Storm tides were lower on the west side of Copano Bay with storm surge only reaching 3 to 4 feet. Water covered Farm to Market Road 136 near the Copano Bay Bridge. Only 2 homes were affected by storm surge in the county.
In Goliad County, widespread minor roof damage occurred in the city of Goliad. Numerous trees and a few power poles were blown down across the county. The roof of the old high school gymnasium was peeled off. A hole was punched in the roof of the new wing of the school. Some class rooms along with the weight room and dressing room suffered water damage. Three families were displaced from homes when roofs and walls collapsed. There was some minor structural damage to some homes in Goliad. Several barns were blown down throughout the county. Some livestock were injured.
In Victoria County, Widespread minor to moderate roof damage occurred in the city of Bloomington. Several mobile homes were destroyed. All but three facilities within the Bloomington school district suffered wind and water damage. Widespread minor roof damage occurred in the city of Victoria. Several trees and a few power poles were blown down. Fences and street signs were blown down across the city. The maximum wind gust recorded in Victoria was 85 mph. Maximum wind gusts in the southern part of the county were around 110 mph. Twenty seven homes were destroyed. Around 75 percent of residential and commercial properties in the county were damaged. Hundreds of acres of unharvested cotton were damaged in the field. Harvested cotton in modules and bales were damaged also. A few barns and storage buildings were blown down across the county.