Document updated Spring 2023
Disclaimer: For final record information, please see the National Climatic Data Center at
http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov
Weather Highlights Since 1899
The following events are a collection of some of the major events over South Central Texas
for the past 120+ years...beginning with the major Arctic Freeze of February 1899.
- 1899 -
February 1899 - Bitterly cold air settles over South-Central Texas. A low of 4 degrees is
observed at San Antonio on February 12, the coldest February temperature on record. The
coldest February temperature on record is also observed on February 12 at Austin, where a
morning low of -1 is reported. These temperatures occurred as impacts were felt across the
entirety of the state. Tulia and Amarillo would observe low temperatures of -23 and -16
respectively on the morning of February 12. The -23 observation at Tulia still stands as the
coldest temperature on record in the state of Texas. All of Galveston Bay, with the exception of
the main shipping channel, was covered in a thin sheet of ice on the morning of February 13.
Brownsville would observe an all time record low of 12 degrees on the same morning.
- 1900s -
The next 2 weather events listed for 1900 and 1902 were not in South Central Texas.
However, they are very significant events in Texas Weather History.
August 27-September 15, 1900 - Tragic and Deadly Galveston Hurricane and its effects on
Galveston and parts of Southeast Texas. Near 6000 fatalities.
May 18, 1902 - Deadly tornado strikes Goliad, Texas, with 114 fatalities.
August 20, 1909 - High of 107 at San Antonio stood as the hottest temperature on record in San
Antonio until August 19, 1986, when a high of 108 was observed.
- 1910s -
June 28-29, 1913 - Flooding over parts of Uvalde County. Montell received 20.6 inches of rain
in 24 hours.
December 1-4, 1913 - Widespread floods over Central and Southeast Texas, plus parts of South
Central Texas. San Marcos received 15.5 inches of rain in one day. Austin received 10.66 inches
of rain on the 3rd and 4th. Some parts of San Antonio report over seven inches of rain on the 4th,
despite only 2.02 falling at the Hicks building. There were 177 fatalities and much property
damage.
1914 - Wettest year on record for Del Rio, 37.75 inches.
April 9, 1914 - latest freeze on record for Austin, Texas, low of 32.
March 8-9, 1915 - Latest recorded snow in San Antonio, 1.9 inches.
April 1915 - Devastating and deadly floods strike Austin, Texas with 35 fatalities.
1917 - Driest year on record for many places across the state. Driest year of record for San
Antonio (10.11 inches), and 3rd driest for Austin (15.58 inches) and Del Rio (7.65 inches).
October 1917 - Earliest freeze on record for San Antonio on October 30th, low of 32.
1919 - Wettest year on record for Austin (64.88 inches), 2nd wettest for San Antonio (50.30
inches) and 8th wettest for Del Rio (30.15 inches).
- 1920s -
September 8-10, 1921 - Floods in Austin and San Antonio. 215 fatalities were reported, 51 of
which occurred in San Antonio. Thrall (Williamson County) receives 38.2 inches in 24 hours.
Northern parts of Bexar County received 18 inches in 24 hours.
May 4, 1922 - Tornado strikes Austin, incurring half a million dollars (1922 USD;
approximately 8.6 million dollars in 2023 USD) in damage. 13 fatalities are reported.
July 18, 1923 - High of 109 in Austin sets what is at the time an all-time record high
temperature. A high of 109 would be observed once again three decades later, on the afternoon
of July 26, 1954. This all-time record would be broken 6 times in the 2000s with 2 days at 112
and 4 at 110.
April 26, 1924 - An F2 Tornado strikes Travis County. 5 fatalities and 15 injuries are reported.
October 26, 1924 - Austin records a low of 31, the earliest freeze in the period of record.
April 28, 1925 - An F2 Tornado strikes Hays County. 3 fatalities and 40 injuries are reported.
April 12, 1927 - Rocksprings takes a direct hit from an F5 tornado, leaving most of the town
destroyed. 72 fatalities occur in town. 2 additional fatalities occur northeast of Leakey.
Eyewitness reports indicate the tornado was over one mile wide when traveling through
Rocksprings.
- 1930s -
After starting out with cold conditions in January of 1930, rather mild winters followed in
the early 1930s. The Mid 1930s brought several very intense flood events.
January 1930 - Coldest January on record in Austin, San Antonio and Del Rio. Coldest month
on record all time in Austin and Del Rio.
June 30-July 2, 1932 - Floods over the Hill Country. Mountain Home (Kerr County) receives
33.6 inches in 24 hours.
March 5, 1935 - A potent hail and wind storm impacts San Antonio, causing one million dollars
(1935 USD; approximately 22.1 million dollars in 2023 USD) in property damage.
May 1935 - Heavy rains and flooding occur over South-Central Texas, including Austin and San
Antonio. 9.21 inches of rain is observed in Austin. 14.07 inches of rain is observed in San
Antonio, leading to the wettest May on record. After one episode of heavy rains, water got into
stores on Alamo Plaza in San Antonio. D’Hanis (Medina County) sees 22 to 24 inches of rain
over the span of 2 hours and 45 minutes on May 31.
June 1935 - Heavy rainfall and flooding continue over parts of South-Central Texas. Extensive
flooding is observed along the Llano, Colorado and Pedernales Rivers, impacting the
communities of Austin, Fredericksburg, Llano, and Junction. Extensive flooding affected Austin
on June 14 and 15, when the Colorado River rose to just 1 foot below the all-time crest observed
in 1869. Crests occurring along the Llano River at Llano of 41.5 ft on 6/14/1935 remain the
highest on record. Del Rio also experienced their second highest single day rainfall on June 13
(8.79 inches).
May-July 1936 - Heavy rainfall and flooding affect Austin. 8.15 inches fall during May,
followed by 9.25 inches during the month of July.
September 13-18, 1936 - Over thirty inches of rain are recorded near Junction.
November 22-23, 1937 - 11.0 inches of snow fall in Austin.
July-August 1938 - Rain accumulations ranging from 20 to 30 inches occur along the upper
Colorado River to the west-northwest of Austin. Rapid rises are observed as far south as
downtown Austin as a result.
- 1940s -
August 30, 1942 - The remnants of the 1942 Matagorda hurricane move just to the east of San
Antonio. Very gusty winds and numerous power outages are reported in the city. A 74 MPH
wind gust is measured at San Antonio International Airport.
May 1, 1944 - An F2 tornado strikes Travis and Williamson Counties. Three fatalities and eight
injuries occur.
May 16, 1946 - A severe hailstorm strikes San Antonio. An estimated $5 million (1946 USD;
approximately $81.5 million 2023 USD) in damage occurs.
September 1946 - Floods occur over South Central Texas. 17.3 inches of rain fall over portions
of San Antonio and southern Bexar County on September 27th.
June 23-24, 1948 - Heavy rains and flooding occurs between Brackettville, Rocksprings, and
Del Rio. Up to 26 inches of rain are observed over portions of this region during the overnight
hours.
January 31, 1949 - Snowfall occurs over portions of South-Central Texas. Bitterly cold, arctic
air settles in after the snow concludes. The coldest lows on record are observed at Austin’s
Mueller Airport (-2), Austin Bergstrom (-5) and San Antonio (0).
- 1950s -
Late January-Early February 1951- An outbreak of arctic air results in the longest amount of
time below the freezing mark at San Antonio. The city would spend 108 hours and 28 minutes
below 32 degrees between midnight on January 29 and 12:28 pm on February 2..
1951-56 - A prolonged drought impacts South-Central Texas. Apart from two flooding events in
1952 and 1954, widespread rainfall is hard to come by during this period.
September 9-11, 1952 - A multi day flooding event unfolds over portions of Hill Country. 28.8
inches of rain are observed just east of Fredericksburg in Gillespie County during this stretch.
April 28, 1953 - Several major tornadoes strike the Austin-San Antonio County Warning Area.
Two F3s occur in Smithville (Bastrop Co) and Helotes (Hays Co), causing an estimated
$275,000 (1953 USD; approximately $3.1 million in 2023 USD) in damage. The strongest
tornado of the outbreak, rated F4, tracks over the northern San Antonio metropolitan area,
sweeping at least one home off its foundation and lofting a vehicle over 200 yards. Three people
tragically died in the tornadoes.
April 30, 1954 - Part of a larger, multiple day tornado outbreak impacting the southern United
States, several tornadoes strike Lee, Travis, and Williamson Counties.
June 1954 - The remnants of Hurricane Alice track near and just north of Del Rio. Occurring in
the middle of the 1951-1956 drought, nearly 35 inches of rain accumulated to the north of town.
Resultant flooding would occur along the Rio Grande River from Del Rio south through Eagle
Pass. The newly completed Falcon Reservoir would fill up in a matter of weeks as the
floodwaters progressed downstream.
November 8, 1955 - The earliest snowfall on record occurs in the greater Austin area. 1 to 3
inches of snow are observed in the western suburbs.
1957-58 - Floods connected to a strong El Niño end the 1951-1956 drought.
- 1960s -
The 1960s saw effects from 2 major hurricanes that hit the Texas Coast, Carla and Beulah.
An arctic outbreak in January 1962 was followed by a hot summer in the summer of 1962.
In July to August of 1962, a long string of 100 degree days occurred. Rain was scarce to
non-existent. A cold winter returned in 1963. Several snowfall events came mainly in
February, in the mid 1960s. The late 1960s were characterized by cool weather coming to
the area early in the fall and continuing into the winter months. The decade ended with a
hot summer in the summer of 1969, that was followed by another cool fall in the fall of
1969. This cool weather trend continued into the winter and early spring of 1970.
September 1961 - The remains of Hurricane Carla track near and to the east of San Antonio,
bringing high winds and heavy rainfall to the area.
January 1962 - An arctic outbreak impacts South-Central Texas, resulting in substantial crop
damage across the region.
July-August 1962 - A prolonged streak of daytime highs at or above 100 degrees is observed in
San Antonio. The thermometer tops the century mark twenty-one days in a row from July 24
through August 13.
September 1967 - Hurricane Beulah impacts South-Central Texas with devastating effect,
producing tornadoes and flash flooding. Two F3 Tornadoes and one F2 Tornado occur on
September 20 in Lavaca and DeWitt Counties. Numerous other tornadoes are reported across the
region.
January 1968 - Flash flooding occurs across the region. The wettest January on record is
observed in San Antonio, which receives 8.52 inches of rainfall during the month.
- 1970s -
Although the 1970s began dry, the decade was one of the wettest on record for many
locations. Temperatures would be cooler than average as well.
1970-July 1971 - A nineteen month drought affects South-Central Texas.
August 1971 - The D’Hanis and Sabinal floods end the 1970-1971 drought.
May 11-12, 1972 - Severe flooding affects New Braunfels and Seguin. Heavy rain below
Canyon Dam floods numerous homes, tragically incurring 15 fatalities in New Braunfels.
March 10, 1973 - A tornado causes significant damage in Burnet. 40 businesses and 161 homes
are either damaged or destroyed.
April 15, 1973 - A tornado strikes the communities of Pearsall and Medina. The twister reaches
three quarters of a mile in width prior to hitting Pearsall at F4 intensity. Additional F2 damage
occurs in Medina. Five people tragically perish in the storm.
1973 - San Antonio sees its wettest year on record as 52.28 inches of rain are recorded in the
city.
November 23-24, 1974 - A nocturnal flash flood event occurs across portions of Hays and
Travis Counties. Ten fatalities occur in Austin, with another two being reported in San Marcos.
July 1976 - Several weeks of heavy rain and flooding leads to a very cool month across the area.
Highs fail to reach eighty degrees on multiple afternoons. The wettest July on record is observed
in Del Rio, as 13.18 inches of rain falls.
Fall 1976 - The coldest Fall on record occurs across the region. These records still stand at
Austin, San Antonio, and Del Rio as of 2023.
April 22, 1978 - Severe thunderstorms develop to the west and northwest of San Antonio during
the afternoon hours, striking downtown as final preparations for the Fiesta parade are occurring.
A 74 mph wind gust is recorded at the airport.
August 1-4 1978 - The remnants of Tropical Storm Amelia cause devastating and tragic
flooding across portions of Hill Country. The storm quickly dissipated on the 1st within a day of
making landfall, but its influence continued for several days across portions of the state. 27
deaths occur. Medina records 48 inches of rainfall over a 72 hour period from the 1st through the
3rd. The greatest 24-hour rainfall ever recorded in Texas at an official observing site occurred at
Albany, in Shackelford County, on the 4th (29.05 inches).
July 10, 1979 - A microburst strikes San Antonio International Airport. A peak wind gust of 77
MPH is measured.
July 25-26, 1979 - Heavy rains from Tropical Storm Claudet affect Southeast Texas. Alvin,
Texas had an unofficial estimate of 43 inches of rain in 22 hours. Storm total rain was 45 inches.
- 1980s -
The 1980s was a decade of vast extremes, similar to the late 1940s and early 1960s. An
arctic outbreak in January 1982 dropped temperatures to their lowest since the early
1960s. Two additional outbreaks followed in December of 1983 and 1989. Very hot
temperatures also affected the area in the summer of 1980, August of 1986, and summer of
1989. Drought returned in late 1983, lasting through the summer of 1984. Abundant
rainfall and flooding occurred from late 1984 through late 1987, prior to the arrival of an
additional drought from early 1988 through the end of 1989.
May 24, 1981 - Austin, Texas Memorial Day Flood. 4 to 10 inches of rain fall during the
overnight hours, leading to widespread flooding and 13 fatalities.
August 30-31, 1981 - Hallettsville Flood. Heavy rain falls in a 50 to 75 mile wide by 200 miles
long area between Seguin to just north of Houston. Fayette, Gonzales, Lavaca, De Witt, and
Karnes Counties experience heavy rain and flooding, seeing anywhere between 10 and 18 inches
in storm total accumulations. Water levels crest at five feet on the town square in Hallettsville.
Ninety percent of the business district and 70 percent of all residences are flooded.
1982-1983 - A major El Niño/Southern Oscillation event occurs. Despite typical El Niño
teleconnections favoring wetter than usual conditions in South-Central Texas, winter 1982-1983
was drier than normal while storms typically strengthened just to the east. Numerous floods
occur to the east of our region this winter. Deep low pressure systems develop in the Gulf of
Mexico with a strong jet stream overhead during the winter of 1983, leading to windy days
through the spring months.
December 1983 - December arctic outbreak leads to the coldest December on record for San
Antonio. The 2nd coldest December on record occurs in Austin and Del Rio. A record 140
consecutive hours below freezing occurs in Austin, which would stand until the historic winter
event of February 2021.
May 7, 1984 - A severe hail storm strikes San Antonio, causing five million dollars in damage.
October 1984 - Heavy rainfall and flooding occur across the area, ending a period of drought
occurring over earlier portions of the year.
January 11-13, 1985 - The Great Texas Snow Storm of 1985 brings record snowfall to
South-Central Texas. San Antonio sees 13.5 inches of accumulation. Del Rio observes 8.6 inches
over the two day period. Click here for more additional details regarding this historic winter
event.
May 24, 1985 - A severe hail storm hits San Antonio, causing between five and seven million
dollars of damage.
January 7-8, 1986 - Occurring just one year after the Great Texas Snow Storm of 1985, another
significant snowfall occurs over the Rio Grande Plains. Del Rio sees 8.2 inches over a 24 hour
period.
June 3-4, 1986 - A nocturnal heavy rain event occurs over San Antonio, leading to flash
flooding. 5.13 inches are observed in the city.
August 19, 1986 - The hottest day on record occurs at San Antonio, where a high temperature of
108 is recorded. The record would stand until 2000, when high temperatures of 109 and 111 were
recorded on September 4 and 5 respectively.
December 1986 - Multiple bouts of heavy rainfall impact San Antonio. 7.11 inches of fall
throughout the month, leading to what was at the time the wettest December on record in the
city. This record would be broken in December of 1991, when 13.96 inches fell in the city.
April 1987 - A late freeze impacts most of south-central Texas. The latest freeze on record is
recorded in San Antonio, where a low of 31 degrees occurs on the morning of April 3.
May-June 1987 - A stretch of very wet conditions occurs across the area between May 13 and
June 12, leading to widespread flooding. 18.43 inches of rainfall is observed in San Antonio,
which stands as the wettest thirty day period of all-time in the city until the fall of 1998.
July 16-17, 1987 - A flash flood occurs on the Guadalupe River to the west of Comfort. A
school bus and van carrying attendees of a church camp stall, tragically leading to ten fatalities.
Please reference the NWS Austin/San Antonio review of this flash flood event for additional
information.
June 9, 1988 - Del Rio records a high temperature of 112 degrees, the hottest on record. The city
would tie the mark once more on July 13, 2020.
September 17, 1988 - Tornadoes develop as the remnants of Hurricane Gilbert pivot across
South-Central Texas. Extensive damage occurs in the Del Rio area, where three subdivisions and
multiple mobile homes are hit. A marina on the edge of Lake Amistad experiences considerable
damage as well. The heaviest damage in the San Antonio area occurs at Kelly Air Force Base,
where twelve warehouses are impacted. In total, thirty-five million dollars worth of damages
occur in the San Antonio area. Fifteen million dollars in losses occur in Del Rio.
November 4, 1988 - Unseasonably warm weather occurs across the area. San Antonio sees an
all-time record high for the month of November at 94 degrees. Del Rio tops out at 96 degrees,
another all-time November record high. The high of 89 degrees observed at Austin Bergstrom
and Mueller Airport was a daily record for November 4. This reading was the second highest
temperature observed in the city of Austin during the month of November, closely following the
91 degree high temperature observed at Mueller Airport on November 13, 1951.
May 16, 1989 - A tornado strikes the community of Brackettville.
December 23, 1989 - An all-time record low of 10 degrees is recorded in Del Rio. December
record lows are set in Austin and San Antonio, where morning temperatures were 4 and 6
degrees respectively. Maximum sea level pressure records are tied or exceeded at many
locations. This was the 2nd major freeze of the 1980s following the frigid temperatures observed
during December 1983.
- 1990s -
The 1990s began with wetter than normal conditions across South-Central Texas, and
continued until the arrival of a drought during 1995. Winters were mild, followed by hotter
than normal temperatures during the summers. A strong subtropical jet stream steered the
most frigid winter air masses away from the Southern Plains and toward the northeastern
United States. Despite the majority of the cold staying well away from the area, vast
extremes in temperature occurred from the Fall of 1995 through the Winter of 1996. A late
season cold outbreak also impacted the region during April of 1997.
July 15-16, 1990 - The wettest July on record at the time is set in San Antonio, where 8.29
inches of rain is recorded. The record would fall in July of 2002.
December 1991 - Monthly rainfall records are shattered in both Austin and San Antonio. 12.88
inches of rainfall accumulation occur at Austin Bergstrom, more than doubling the previous
record of 5.96 inches set in 1986. 13.96 inches of rain are observed in San Antonio, breaking the
previous record of 7.11 inches set in 1986. Widespread flooding is reported on Christmas over
the two metros and in Hill Country.
October 30, 1993 - The earliest snowfall in the period of record occurs at both Del Rio and San
Antonio, where 1.2 inches and a trace are measured respectively.
May 5, 1993 - The Cinco de Mayo flood of 1993 occurs in San Antonio, when 6.26 inches of
rain fall over a 24 hour period.
October 1994 - A wet and stormy month occurs across South-Central Texas. Two separate
flooding events occur across the region. Torrential rains impact Austin and San Antonio over
several hours during the overnight period between October 7-8. Additional flooding occurs
across the region between October 14 and 16.
February 1996 - A month of extreme temperature swings is seen over the area. An arctic
outbreak sets in over the first few days of the month, and is supplanted by record-breaking heat
and highs near 100 during the mid to late portions of the month. San Antonio’s earliest 100
degree day on record occurred on the 21st. Another arctic chill arrives by the end of the month.
September 1996 - The area begins to enter a stormy period, meteorologically ending a dry
period dating back to late 1995. Severe weather returns with the storms, as a tornado event
impacts Hill Country
May 27, 1997 - A date that will forever live in South-Central Texas weather history. An outbreak
of ten tornadoes occurs from Williamson County southwest through Hill Country and the
Southern Edwards Plateau. One of these is rated F5, hitting Jarrell and tragically causing 27
fatalities. Additional tornadoes include an F4 striking Pedernales Valley, an F3 in Cedar Park,
two F2s, and five F1/F0s. Seventeen large hail reports occur along with the tornadoes, in addition
to nine downbursts and seven flash flood events. A straight-line wind gust of 122 MPH is
recorded at Kelly AFB in southwest San Antonio. Please refer to the 2022 story map produced
by NWS Austin/San Antonio and Fort Worth for additional details regarding this event.
June 22, 1997 - Flash flooding occurs across Hill Country. 8.90 inches of rain accumulated near
Comfort, leading to the worst flooding the community had experienced since the 1870s.
September 9, 1997 - After going the entire summer without a 100 degree high temperature, a
max temperature of 101 is recorded in Austin. A line of severe thunderstorms sweeps through
during the evening hours, bringing up to 70 MPH wind gusts.
February 1998 - An active month of severe weather occurs across South-Central Texas. Eight
total events strike the area between the 1st and the 28th. The storms produced large hail with the
greatest frequency, although several tornadoes were reported during an event on February 10th.
Summer 1998 - One of the hottest summers on record is seen across the region. Most 100 degree
days of record in a year for Del Rio (69) and San Antonio (36). Temperatures would moderate
quickly with the arrival of rains in September.
August 1998 - The wettest month on record is observed in the city of Del Rio, where a
whopping 20.93 inches of rain falls over the period. This total far surpassed the previous
monthly record of 6.10 inches occurring in 1971, and hasn’t been challenged since. The majority
of this total could be attributed to the remnants of Tropical Storm Charley, which dropped 17.03
inches of rain at Del Rio International Airport on August 23, marking the all-time record daily
rainfall amount at the site. Refer to the NWS Austin/San Antonio review of Tropical Storm
Charley for additional information.
October 17-18, 1998 - A pair of upper disturbances, rich moisture from the Pacific, and an
approaching cold front combine to trigger repeated rounds of showers and thunderstorms across
South-Central Texas, leading to disastrous flooding along the Guadalupe River and in the San
Antonio and Austin metro areas. Thirty-one people tragically perish. $750 million in property
damages occur, and in Austin some neighborhoods are bought out and torn down for families to
relocate outside the floodplain. Refer to the NWS Austin/San Antonio review document and
website for the October 17-18, 1998 flooding event for additional information.
- 2000s -
November 14-15, 2001 - Heavy rain on the 14th and 15th led to widespread flash flooding and
thunderstorms produced 16 tornadoes across South Central Texas on the 15th. The tornadoes
were all rated F0 or F1. Eight people were killed by flood waters and 190 were injured. Nine
people were injured by the tornadoes. Here is a discussion of the rainfall during this event.
July 2002 - The wettest July in San Antonio history is recorded as 16.92 inches of rain fall at
San Antonio International Airport. Most of this rain came at the beginning of the month, with
significant rains of up to 24-33+” impacting nearby portions of the Hill Country June 30-July 7.
Canyon Dam overtopped for the first time on July 4th, necessitating the evacuation of thousands
downstream on the Guadalupe River. More information is available in an event review here.
June 25-30 2004 - A long-lived, widespread rain event continued almost non-stop from midday
on the 25th through the late afternoon of the 30th. Rain totals of at least four inches were
reported in each of our 33 counties, with totals above 12 inches over half of the counties. This
event saturated the area soils almost immediately and produced over 80 separate county flash
floods and eight river floods.
November 2004 - The wettest November in both Austin and San Antonio’s recorded histories.
Flash flooding events occurred in South-Central Texas on the 16th, 21st, and 23rd. The
Guadalupe River at Gonzales crested at 44.38 ft on the 23rd, its 3rd highest crest ever. In
addition, nine tornadoes were reported on the 16th and 14 additional tornadoes occurred on the
23rd. All of these tornadoes were rated F0 or F1. 2004 ended as the 4th wettest year in Austin’s
recorded history. It was the 7th wettest year in San Antonio.
April 20, 2006 - Hailstones as large as 4.25 inches in diameter (grapefruit-size) were reported
near and south of San Marcos. Damage to homes and vehicles from this storm were estimated at
$100M.
April 23-25, 2007 - Multiple days of severe weather impacted communities near the Rio Grande,
including large hail, damaging straight line winds up to 75 mph, and tornadoes. An EF-3 tornado
devastated communities on the southeast side of Eagle Pass, TX on the evening of April 24th
causing seven fatalities. This was the last EF-3 tornado to impact our 33 county region, although
in 2022 a tornado developed in Williamson County that went on to do EF-3 damage in Bell
County near Salado. More information on the Eagle Pass event can be found in an event review
here.
March 25, 2009 - The costliest hailstorm in Austin history occurred during the evening rush
hour. Hail up to 3” in diameter was reported leading to over $160M in damages. It’s notable
that the previous two costliest Austin hail storms also occurred on March 25th, with $100M in
damages in 2005 and $125M in 1993 on the same date.
- 2010s -
May 24-25, 2010 - Heavy rains and flooding impacted portions of Val Verde County including
the city of Del Rio. The 7.12” on May 24 still stands as the wettest May day in history at Del Rio
and the 5th wettest day all time. This contributed to 10.45” for the month, which is still the
wettest May on record at the site and the 8th wettest of any month. More information on this
event can be found here.
Summer 2011 - A summer characterized by extreme heat and drought. Ultimately, the year
ended with a record high 90 days of 100 degree heat in Austin and 85 in Del Rio. It was the
hottest summer in recorded history in Austin, San Antonio, and Del Rio at the time, although
summer 2022 defeated those records in both San Antonio and Del Rio.
September 4, 2011 - After a summer of intense heat and widespread exceptional drought, the
Bastrop County Complex fire ignited and quickly spread through Bastrop State Park and other
areas east of the city of Bastrop in strong northerly winds. It would go on to burn more than
32,000 acres, destroying 1600 homes and becoming the most destructive wildfire in TX history.
October 30-31, 2013 - Heavy rainfall of 10-12+” over central portions of Hays County between
the evening of Oct 30 and the mid afternoon of Oct 31 led to significant flash and riverine
flooding in the Blanco River, San Marcos River, and Onion Creek watersheds. Onion Creek at
US 183 in southeast Austin reached a record crest of 40.15 ft, flooding hundreds of homes and
ultimately leading to the buyout of neighborhoods in the floodplain not bought out after the 1998
floods. More information on this event is available here.
May 23-25, 2015 - After wet conditions in early to mid May, significant heavy rains of 9-13” fell
over upper portions of the Blanco River Basin, leading to significant flash and river flooding. A
record flood crest of 44.9 ft was recorded on the Blanco River at Wimberly, and 13 fatalities
resulted from this flood. A complete rundown of the flooding, including photos, is available
here. In addition, 17 confirmed EF-0 and EF-1 tornadoes occurred on the evenings of the 23rd
and 25th. More information on the tornadoes from this event can be found here.
October 30-31, 2015 - Severe thunderstorms produced four confirmed tornadoes in the region,
and widespread flash floods along the I-35 corridor. An area of 10-15+” of rain fell across much
of Comal and Hays Counties, northward into southeastern Travis County, leading to significant
to near-record flooding. Some of the same areas impacted by record flooding in May were again
hit hard just 5 months later. Estimates suggest 2000 homes were flooded in or near the I-35
corridor, many of them destroyed or heavily damaged. Damage was estimated in excess of $25M
(2015 dollars). Ultimately, 2015 ended as the 2nd wettest year in Austin’s recorded history. More
details from this event are available here.
April 12, 2016 - A strong supercell thunderstorm produced widespread reports of 2-4.5”
diameter hail in central and northern portions of San Antonio. It was the costliest hailstorm in
San Antonio history, and 2nd costliest in state history, with over $1.36B in damages. Damage
estimates were provided by the Insurance Council of Texas and include damage to 136,000
vehicles and 125,000 homes. A brief review of this event is available here. It includes clickable
links to radar imagery.
August 25-29, 2017 - Although the worst impacts were felt to our south and east in the Corpus
Christi and Houston NWS service areas, Hurricane Harvey brought Tropical Storm force winds
to areas along and east of I-35, and significant rainfall of 20-30” to far eastern portions of our
region including near La Grange and Smithville. Event summaries are available from NWS
Austin-San Antonio, Houston, and Corpus Christi.
October 16, 2018 - After significant flooding upstream near Junction on October 8th claimed the
lives of three people, additional periods of heavy rain totalled 7-12” over much of the watershed
during the following week. This culminated in major flooding on the 16th as the second highest
crest ever on the Llano River at Llano reached 40.17 ft. One bridge (FM2900) and 38 homes
were destroyed, with 494 additional homes suffering major damage, and one additional fatality
occurred. A full report from the Llano River Watershed Alliance is available here.
- 2020s -
February 10-18, 2021 - A historic week filled with long-duration subfreezing temperatures,
many daily records for cold, two ice storms, and two snowstorms crippled much of the region.
The worst impacts were in the Hill Country, southern Edwards Plateau, and Austin Metro area.
The climax of the event for many areas was a strong cold front overnight Feb 14-15, which
brought temperatures into the single digits and widespread 3-7” of snow. Significant impacts to
the TX power grid left hundreds of thousands without power in the cold, and hundreds perished
statewide. A few days later on February 18th, Del Rio experienced their all-time record snowfall
of 11.2”. A more complete rundown of records and snowfall amounts is available in our event
write-up here.
April 28, 2021 - A powerful supercell thunderstorm tracked from the Rio Grande to the I-35
corridor. In Medina County, it produced straight line winds in excess of 100 mph, an EF-1
tornado, and a gargantuan, 6.4” hail stone that was later confirmed by the State Climate
Extremes Committee as the largest in state history. The report on the confirmation of the
hailstone is available here, while a more detailed event review is available here.
December 2021 - An extremely warm month for much of the south-central and southeastern
United States. It was the warmest December on record for South-Central Texas dating back to
1895, with temperatures averaging 11-13 degrees above normal.
March 21, 2022 - An outbreak of tornadoes and large hail impacted areas along and east of I-35.
In total, six tornadoes were confirmed in the region, including three EF-2s that impacted the
communities of Elgin, Round Rock/Granger, and Kingsbury. From 5:54-6:08pm, three of the
tornadoes were ongoing simultaneously. A review of this event is available here.
May - July 2022 - A second straight La Niña winter set the stage for a hot and dry spring and
summer. On July 10, Austin hit 110, tying a record for the month, and on July 11, San Antonio
tied their July record high of 107. Austin and San Antonio each had their record warmest May,
June, and July all in a row. Three straight-record hot months had never occurred before in
Austin, and had only occurred once in San Antonio between April and June of 1982, with only 7
years of data to compare to! Drought would expand and worsen, with long term rainfall deficits
of 12-20” centered over San Antonio and the Hill Country leading to Exceptional Drought (D4)
remaining in place as of March 2023.
January 31 - February 2, 2023 - Light accumulations of freezing rain on bridges and
overpasses led to hundreds of accidents in the Austin area the morning of January 31st, but the
worst was yet to come. From the very early morning through the afternoon of February 1st,
significant widespread ice accumulation of 0.25-0.6” on trees and power lines across the Austin
metro area and adjacent Hill Country locations led to widespread power outages numbering in
the hundreds of thousands, some lasting a week or more. It was the worst pure ice storm in the
region in several decades. A detailed analysis and timeline of this event is available in this Story
Map.
