Another slow-moving storm system provided multiple days of showers and thunderstorms across North and Central Texas. Flash flooding occurred across mainly the northern half of the region in the vicinity of a stationary front.
Every event with a place to put it. Tap one for its entry below.
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 FWD wrote it up.
Another slow-moving storm system provided multiple days of showers and thunderstorms across North and Central Texas. Flash flooding occurred across mainly the northern half of the region in the vicinity of a stationary front.
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 Fort Worth, TX wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Sep 21, 2:43 PM CST, 1 hour 13 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Fort Worth TX 343 PM CDT Fri Sep 21 2018 .SHORT TERM... /Through Tonight/ Current radar imagery shows the heaviest activity generally along and north of the I-20 corridor, with a few showers and thunderstorms across Central Texas. An uptick in convection is expected this afternoon, especially as pockets of sunshine are providing additional instability. High-res guidance continues to suggest additional convection during the afternoon commute and into the evening hours. Lightning, gusty winds, and heavy rain will be the main threats. The overall severe threat remains low this afternoon and evening, but a brief tornado cannot be ruled out, especially if the surface low deepens. Heavy rainfall will remain the main threat through tonight across North and Central Texas. There are several factors contributing to this threat: a surface low pressure system located over West Texas, an upper level trough, an approaching cold front, and abundant tropical moisture from the Gulf of Mexico and the Pacific. As the surface low continues to slide eastward towards the region, showers and thunderstorms will increase in coverage...and so will the potential for significant flash flooding. WPC has placed areas along and west of the DFW Metroplex and north towards the Red River under a high risk of excessive rainfall through tonight. For areas south and east, a slight to moderate risk of excessive rainfall is in place. The 12Z sounding recorded a PWAT value of 2.09 inches, and moisture has increased as the latest GOES Total Precipitable Water values are measuring just over 2.2 inches. In addition to the abundant tropical moisture, forecast soundings feature a skinny CAPE profile, unidirectional flow, and a deep warm cloud depth...all conducive to efficient rain producing showers and thunderstorms. High resolution ensembles all indicate high probabilities of QPF exceeding flash flood guidance over a good portion of the area. Some areas along, north, and west of the DFW Metroplex towards the Red River may see amounts as high as 6 inches tonight. A Flash Flood Watch continues through Saturday afternoon along and north of a Temple-Ennis-Sulphur Springs line where 2 to 4 inches of rain, with isolated higher amounts, will be possible. Winds will shift to the north across western Texoma in response to the eastward movement of the surface low and the southward movement of the cold front. Low temperatures tonight will respond as well, with lows in the 60s across the northwest. Low temperatures will remain in the 70s elsewhere. Villanueva && .LONG TERM... /This Weekend Through Thursday/ Little change in the current pattern and threat for widespread and occasionally heavy showers and a few thunderstorms through the weekend. Associated deformation (frontogenesis aloft) and isentropic lift associated with broad mid level shortwave across western parts of the area and over the top of the slow-moving cold front will allow for showers and a few embedded thunderstorms to overspread all but the southeast part of the CWA Saturday/Saturday night, then across far east/southeast parts of the area Sunday into Monday with the slow eastward track of the broad mid-level shortwave disturbance. The airmass will remain very tropical in nature with total precipitable water values remaining at or just above 2 inches in advance of both the surface cold front and mid level shortwave disturbance. As the mid level shortwave continues its slow trek eastward, the cold front -- likely assisted by outflow processes from heavy showers tonight appears to move to approximately a Cooper-D/FW- Hamilton line by Saturday morning...before stalling for much of the day Saturday, then progressing well into Central and Southeast Texas Saturday night and Sunday. With a rich, very moist, and rain-efficient airmass in place and focus along the cold front and modest ascent continuing aloft, the scenario for an axis of very heavy or torrential rainfall remains present across especially the northwest two-thirds of the CWA, including the DFW Metroplex, Sherman-Denison, Waco, and possibly Temple-Killeen areas. A Flash Flood Watch -- which was extended earlier today and now is in effect west and north Temple-Waco-Rockwall-Sulphur Springs line -- remains in effect through midday Saturday, but depending on actual evolution of the system and rain tonight, it's possible the Flash Flood Watch may need to be extended even more either spatially or temporally on Saturday morning's forecast package. Warm rainfall processes combined with skinny CAPE and a deep moist layer will result in a moderate-high risk of excessive rainfall, especially from DFW north and west tonight, as 15-30 knot SSW 925mb-850mb flow feeds rich Gulf moisture north into the slow- moving low level front. 3 to 6 inches of rainfall will be possible along the frontal axis along and north of I-20 with isolated amounts 8-10 inches not out of the question by midday Saturday. These amounts would likely lead to periods of flash flooding, as well as providing excessive run off into the headwaters of the Brazos and Trinity main stem river basins across this area. Those parts of the watch area south of I-20 and along/west of I-35 are looking at more localized 2 to 4 inches with isolated amounts greater than 5 inches Saturday into early Saturday evening as they await more of a surface focus with the cold front this weekend. Though there was a concern for a brief window for low-topped supercells in the warm sector for Saturday afternoon -- this seems to be waning due to low level flow not forecast to back all that much or be much stronger than 10-15 knots. This could change if the surface low over the Big Country deepens more than expected helps back low level flow through 925mb. If that were to happen and combine with 0-3km CAPE on the order of 150-300 J/KG over Central Texas by Saturday afternoon, then a brief strong to severe storm with a very low threat for an isolated tornado would be possible. All this shift southeast Sunday and Monday with best convective chances and isolated heavy rainfall shifting across areas east of I-35 and particularly south of I-20. Flow aloft will become semi-zonal the first half of next week, but occasional weak perturbations moving across the area should help keep very low convective chances going, along with increasing warmth to between 85-90 degrees. Combine the humidity from evaporation from weekend rains and it will feel very warm and muggy outside. We're still watching the potential for a deepening mid level longwave trough across the High Plains by Wednesday into Thursday, with an associated cold front arriving for later in the week. There still remains discrepancies on actually timing of the cold front into the area amongst medium range guidance and model ensembles, so will maintain increasing rain chances and cooler temperatures in the 80s for the Wednesday into Thursday periods. We'll keep refining the forecast as we get past this first, high- impact system. 05/ && .UPDATE... /Issued 159 PM CDT Fri Sep 21 2018/ Overall the forecast remains in good shape, though a few changes to QPF and the Flash Flood Watch were made just prior to noon. Radar mosaic this afternoon revealed a large area of showers and thunderstorms just west and north of our area. Lift should continue to overspread from the west and will likely result in a proliferation of additional convection. Pockets of diabatic heating continue this afternoon as cumulus breaks up and this will bolster low level instability values. The big missing ingredient at this time is greater low level SRH. If winds back sufficiently as the surface low deepens, the threat for a tornado or two may take a noteworthy uptick. We'll continue to monitor this potential. The primary hazard over the next 24 to 36 hours will be heavy rain and subsequent flash flooding. The upper low should translate eastward this afternoon and in through the day on Saturday. Most NWP shows signs of a well-defined deformation axis near and just north of the surface low center. Wherever this sets up, there will likely be some strong low to mid-level frontogenetical forcing and thus a corridor of very heavy rain. HRRR-TLE and HREF QPF probabilities and means support an axis of 4 to 6 inches of rain near and north of the Highway 377 corridor and this matches up well with the conceptual model of banded precipitation just north of the surface low. Isolated amounts of 8" of rain are not out of the realm of possibility. One variable that may still change is the track of the surface low. If this feature shifts northward, it would mean a more northerly shift in the band of heavy rain. A track farther south would mean a greater heavy rain and flash flood risk closer to the I-20 corridor. Regardless of the area, the most likely time frame for very heavy rain will be tonight and into the early morning hours on Saturday. The inherited configuration of the Flash Flood Watch looks good, but we went ahead and expanded it a little further south. While, some of our Central Texas counties may get shut off from the heavier precipitation as dry air eventually protrudes northeastward somewhere across this region, uncertainty in the amount of dry air precludes a conservative forecast and we've added an additional row of counties to the Flash Flood Watch. Bain && .AVIATION... /Issued 131 PM CDT Fri Sep 21 2018/ /18z TAFs/ Concerns- Multiple rounds of showers and thunderstorms and low ceilings through the forecast period. A wind shift on Saturday. Visible satellite imagery continues to show a layer of low clouds across North and Central Texas. Ceilings across some of the DFW Metroplex sites improved this morning, but MVFR ceilings will definitely return this evening as the shower and thunderstorm areal coverage increases. This is due to a strong upper trough over west Texas and a surface low pressure system slowly moving east into our area. The ongoing scattered showers will transition more into widespread activity in the next few hours. Given the latest high resolution guidance, kept the mention of thunder through tonight with a TEMPO of 4SM during the 00-04Z time period for both DFW and Waco TAF sites. We will continue to monitor the trends as this might have to be adjusted/extended. Although the main threat with this activity is the heavy rainfall and flooding, occasional gusty winds will be possible with the strongest storms. The associated cold front is expected to approach our area tomorrow morning. Some of the guidance shows IFR ceilings returning during the day tomorrow as the front approaches North and Central Texas. Right now, confidence is not high enough to introduce it in the TAFs. We will keep watching the trends and will make the necessary adjustment in the next forecast. The prevailing southerly winds will shift to the northeast tomorrow morning as the cold front pushes south, but will stay around 10kts. Sanchez && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... Dallas-Ft. Worth 71 76 68 82 70 / 100 100 70 40 20 Waco 73 80 67 85 69 / 70 80 60 30 20 Paris 70 77 66 80 69 / 100 100 70 60 40 Denton 69 74 66 80 69 / 100 100 60 40 20 McKinney 70 76 67 81 69 / 100 100 70 50 30 Dallas 73 77 68 82 70 / 100 100 70 40 30 Terrell 73 80 70 84 70 / 100 100 70 50 30 Corsicana 73 80 69 82 69 / 70 80 70 50 30 Temple 73 80 66 84 69 / 60 70 50 30 20 Mineral Wells 69 72 64 79 66 / 100 80 60 30 20 && .FWD WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... Flash Flood Watch through Saturday afternoon for TXZ091>095- 100>107-115>120-129>134-141>145-156>159. && 22/05
Hazardous Weather Outlook National Weather Service Fort Worth TX 342 PM CDT Fri Sep 21 2018 TXZ091>095-100>107-115>123-129>135-141>148-156>162-174-175-221200- Montague-Cooke-Grayson-Fannin-Lamar-Young-Jack-Wise-Denton-Collin- Hunt-Delta-Hopkins-Stephens-Palo Pinto-Parker-Tarrant-Dallas- Rockwall-Kaufman-Van Zandt-Rains-Eastland-Erath-Hood-Somervell- Johnson-Ellis-Henderson-Comanche-Mills-Hamilton-Bosque-Hill-Navarro- Freestone-Anderson-Lampasas-Coryell-Bell-McLennan-Falls-Limestone- Leon-Milam-Robertson- 342 PM CDT Fri Sep 21 2018 This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for North and Central Texas. .DAY ONE...Tonight. Scattered to numerous showers and a few thunderstorms are possible across the entire region today. Heavy rainfall and flash flooding are the primary hazards. The area most apt to see flash flooding will be near and northwest of a Temple to Waco to Sulphur Springs line. An additional thunderstorm hazard will be gusty downburst winds, though a brief tornado or two cannot be ruled out this afternoon. The flash flood risk will peak tonight into early Saturday morning, especially for locations near and north of US Highway 377 corridor, but all jurisdictions within the Flash Flood Watch should remain vigilant for the potential of flash flooding later tonight. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Saturday through Thursday. Rain and thunderstorm chances will continue into Saturday, with heavy rain possible through Saturday afternoon. Isolated thunderstorm chances will continue off and on Sunday through much of next week. Though severe weather is not expected, localized flooding may continue with any additional, even localized heavier rainfall. In addition, main stem river flooding will also linger across the Brazos, Trinity, and Sulphur basin well after this weekend's heavier rains taper off. Continue to monitor forecasts and statements daily for your area. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotter activation is not expected at this time, but timely reports of flooding or flash flooding are highly appreciated.
The Dallas/Ft Worth radar (KFWS), 132 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 21:55 UTC.
25 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.
Emergency management reported that several roads in northwest Cooke County have over 6 inches of water running over them.
Broadcast media reported that U.S. Highway 75 in Plano was shut down due to high water, with several vehicles stranded.
Emergency management reported stranded cars on Old Alton Road and water rescues on Cooper Canyon Road near the city of Argyle, TX.
Emergency management reported the closure of Jackson Road at Hickory Creek due to flash flooding.
Emergency management reported multiple road closures in the city of Richardson, TX due to flash flooding.
Emergency management reported that Hickory Road at FM 1173, northwest of the city of Krum, TX, was closed due to high water.
A social media report indicated that Interstate 35E was shut down near the intersection of State School Rd due to high water.
Emergency management reported 2 housed being flooded in the city of Argyle, TX.
Emergency management reported Flash Flooding ongoing on several roads in Southlake, TX, including a water rescue at Canyon Park and Dove Road.
Emergency management reported flash flooding ongoing on Bridlewood Blvd. Also, stranded vehicles were reported near the intersection of FM 407 and Chin Chapel Rd, as well as Lusk Lane at Shiloh Rd in the city of Flower Mound TX.
A social media report indicated that Southlake Fire and Rescue was on the scene of a water rescue at the 3900 block of North White Chapel Blvd.
Emergency management reported ongoing flash flooding with 2 stranded vehicles near the intersection of Josey Lane and Windhaven Parkway in The Colony.
Fire and Rescue reported flash flooding near the intersection of Sandy Lake Road and President George Bush Turnpike in the city of Carrollton, TX.
A social media report indicated vehicles stranded in high water on Las Colinas Blvd in the city of Las Colinas, TX.
A social media report indicated multiple vehicles stranded near the intersection of Highway 183 and Belt Line Road in the city of Irving, TX.
A social media report indicated 8 vehicles stranded on Walnut Hill Lane west of Interstate 35 in the city of Dallas, with fire and rescue assisting people from their cars.
Broadcast media reported that a man drowned after being swept away by high water on the west side of the University of Texas Arlington campus.
Emergency management reported that high water was surrounding homes near Rippy Rd and Bayberry Street in the city of Flower Mound, TX.
A social media report indicated that a swift water rescue was ongoing in the Doug Russell Park area near the intersection of Cooper St and Mitchell St in the city of Arlington, TX.
A social media report indicated that Loop 820 at Forest Hill Dr was shut down due to high water.
A social media report indicated that Loop 820 at Berry St in the city of Fort Worth, TX was closed in both directions due to high water.
Emergency management reported a water rescue ongoing near the city of Venus, TX.
A social media report indicated flooded vehicles stranded near the intersection of Anderson Avenue and Loop 12 in the city of Dallas, TX.
Emergency management reported a vehicle swept off Dagnan Road by flash flood waters.
Grayson County Sheriff's Department reported flooding across 8 major FM roads and 30 county roads, with 2 people being rescued from a stranded vehicle near the city of Bonham, TX.
As the offices recorded each death: direct deaths were caused by the weather itself, indirect ones by something it set in motion.
| Event | Date | Age | Sex | Where | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood, Tarrant | 2018-09-21 | 23 | Male | In Water | Direct |
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Texas in 2018Every state in 2018This day in weather historyWarnings in Texas, September 2018
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: 785743, 785750, 785745, 785746, 785754, 785749, 785755, 785757, 785752, 785753, 786074, 786075, 786081, 786082, 786083, 786084, 786080, 786076, 786077, 786078, 786079, 786283, 786085, 786284, 786285.