Strong thunderstorms producing heavy rain resulted in Flash Flooding across portions of Harris and Austin Counties.
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 HGX wrote it up.
Strong thunderstorms producing heavy rain resulted in Flash Flooding across portions of Harris and Austin Counties.
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 May 24, 5:45 AM CST, 6 hours 22 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Houston/Galveston TX
645 AM CDT Mon May 24 2021
.AVIATION [12Z TAF Issuance]...
MVFR conditions will persist through the mid morning with CIGs
bouncing between 1500 to 2500ft. Most of the region should climb
to VFR conditions by this afternoon, but will drop back down to
1500ft tonight. CLL, UTS, and CXO may drop to IFR with CIGs
around 700ft tonight. Scattered showers and thunderstorms will
persist through the afternoon today and return on Tuesday.
Visibilities may be reduced if a moderate to strong thunderstorm
happens to move near a terminal. Southeasterly flow continues
through the period.
Fowler
&&
.PREV DISCUSSION /Issued 322 AM CDT Mon May 24 2021/...
.SHORT TERM [Through Tuesday Night]...
The rainy, dreary conditions continue today as the high pressure
remains over the southeastern US ushering in that moist
southeasterly flow we have been stuck in for the past week or so. A
weak upper level low will move up through the region today
increasing the coverage of showers from south to north through the
morning. The scattered showers today will produce up to another 1 to
2 inches of rain thanks to high PWATs approaching 1.85 to 2". While
the rain rates will not be very high, the ground is very saturated
already due to days of moderate to heavy rainfall. Will leave the
current configuration of the FFA in place with just the southwestern
counties included out through this evening. However, will need to
evaluate later today on whether it needs to be expanded at all
depending on radar trends. Shower activity will diminish overnight
tonight as the upper level low gets absorbed in the flow aloft and
brought to the northeast. However, another shortwave traversing
Texas will be right on its heels bringing another day of scattered
showers on Tuesday. The western half of the region has higher
chances of seeing the showers on Tuesday, partially due to the high
pressure to the east slowly expanding westward. This will increase
subsidence from east to west helping to limit shower formation. Did
continue a slight chance of showers for Tuesday night because even
though there is no forcing mechanism to generate precipitation, the
atmosphere remains well saturated and wouldn't be surprised if an
isolated light shower popped up somewhere.
Afternoon high temperatures today will get to near 80 and then climb
a few degrees into the low 80s on Tuesday. The slight increase in
temperatures is due to less shower coverage. Overnight lows tonight
and Tuesday night will be in the low 70s.
Fowler
.LONG TERM [Wednesday Through Monday]...
The area will have one more chance of showers and thunderstorms on
Wednesday before drier weather makes its return. Wednesday's chances
look to be much lower than what the area has seen in recent days as
high pressure aloft begins to build into the area and moisture levels
begin to decrease. Will carry no rain chances Wednesday night through
Friday as upper ridging takes control and precipitable water values
fall. Our next chance of rain will be mainly diurnally driven on
Saturday afternoon, and Sunday and Monday look to stay dry as all
activity stays well off to our north.
Those that are wishing for warmer temperatures to come back to the
area are in luck. Your wishes will come true with highs in the mid
to upper 80s (and quite possible some 90s here and there) through
almost the entire long term period. 42
.MARINE...
Moderate east to southeast winds and elevated seas will continue,
possibly into Tuesday or Tuesday night. Periods of showers and
thunderstorms are expected to persist through Tuesday night or
Wednesday. Tide levels will remain elevated through most of the
week. A drier weather pattern with weakening winds and gradually
lowering seas will settle into the area for the second half of
the week and stretch on into next weekend. 42
.CLIMATE...
Our recent rainy spell has helped to drop average temperatures so
far this month to near to slightly below normal levels.
Preliminary numbers (May 1-23) show...
CLL's average temperature of 74.5 degrees is 0.7 degrees below normal.
IAH's average temperature of 75.3 degrees is 1.0 degrees below normal.
HOU's average temperature of 76.8 degrees is 0.2 degrees above normal.
GLS's average temperature of 76.5 degrees is 0.8 degrees below normal.
42
&&
.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS...
College Station (CLL) 80 69 83 70 87 / 90 40 70 20 30
Houston (IAH) 80 71 83 72 86 / 70 40 60 20 30
Galveston (GLS) 80 74 81 75 82 / 70 30 40 20 10
&&
.HGX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
TX...High Rip Current Risk through this evening for the following
zones: Bolivar Peninsula...Brazoria Islands...Galveston
Island...Matagorda Islands.
Flash Flood Watch through this evening for the following zones:
Coastal Jackson...Coastal Matagorda...Colorado...Inland
Jackson...Inland Matagorda...Wharton.
GM...SMALL CRAFT SHOULD EXERCISE CAUTION through this evening for the
following zones: Coastal waters from Freeport to Matagorda
Ship Channel TX out 20 NM...Coastal waters from High Island
to Freeport TX out 20 NM...Galveston Bay...Matagorda Bay.
Small Craft Advisory until 7 AM CDT this morning for the
following zones: Waters from Freeport to Matagorda Ship
Channel TX from 20 to 60 NM...Waters from High Island to
Freeport TX from 20 to 60 NM.
SMALL CRAFT SHOULD EXERCISE CAUTION through this evening for the
following zones: Waters from Freeport to Matagorda Ship
Channel TX from 20 to 60 NM...Waters from High Island to
Freeport TX from 20 to 60 NM.
&&PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HOUSTON/GALVESTON TX
104 PM CDT MON MAY 24 2021
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
1220 PM WATER SPOUT 3 ESE SURFSIDE BEACH 28.94N 95.24W
05/24/2021 GMZ355 TX EMERGENCY MNGR
IMAGE OF A WATER SPOUT POSTED ON SOCIAL
MEDIA FROM THE BEACHFRONT DECK BAR & GRILL
ON SURFSIDE BEACH, RELAYED BY EMERGENCY
MANAGEMENT.
0101 PM WATER SPOUT 4 ESE SURFSIDE BEACH 28.94N 95.23W
05/24/2021 GMZ355 TX TRAINED SPOTTER
SALTWATER RECON PROVIDED WEBCAM VIDEO OF A
WATERSPOUT.
&&The Houston radar (KHGX), 38 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 18:05 UTC.
5 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.
Floodwaters covered SH-288 near Holcombe Blvd in Downtown Houston.
FM 109 with 6 to 8 inches of floodwater near Williams Creek, resulting in the closure of the road.
FM 2754 near Bleiberville was closed due to flooodwaters making the roadway impassable.
FM 2754 near East Mill Creek was impassable due to floodwaters covering the roadway, resulting in the closure of the road.
CR 159 at East Mill Creek was impassable due to floodwaters covering the roadway.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Texas in 2021Every state in 2021This day in weather historyWarnings in Texas, May 2021
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: 960135, 960137, 960138, 960139, 960140.