Texas Storms With 20-24.99 in. Measured Maximum Precipitation Max. precip. range: All ranges 25 in. or more 20-24.99 in. 15-19.99 in. 10-14.99 in. 5-9.99 in. 0-4.99 in. 17 storms: sorted by maximum precipitation Select Max. Precip. Range from Gauge     Image Gallery Click on thumbnails for larger image 1.   Seco Creek Basin May 31, 1935 Heavy rainfall over the Seco Creek Basin above D'Hanis in early morning May 31 caused the creek to rise rapidly and reach the highest historical stage for D'Hanis. There were no rain gages in the basin during the storm, and receptacles ordinarily used for measuring rainfall ran over or were washed away. Bucket surveys estimated that 22-24 in. of rain fell over a small area, and that 12-14 in. fell at other points during 3 hours or less. The National Weather Service reports that a maximum of 22 in. of rain fell in 2 hours and 45 minutes. An average amount of more than 9 in. fell on the entire 80-mi2 watershed. read more... Deaths and Damage:   Four children and one woman drowned. Damage to railroad and highways was estimated at $48,500. Max. Precipitation:   24.00 in. 22.00 in. (Medina Co.) Severity:   Catastrophic Storm Center(s):   Medina Co., D'Hanis References:   Dalrymple and others, 1939, p. 232-236 USGS_18 2.   Rio Grande Watershed June 23 to 24, 1948 Intense storms were centered along the divide between the Devils River and the tributaries lying immediately to the east June 23-24. The rain began during the morning June 23 and continued into the next day, with the most intense rain early morning June 24. The storm had three separate storm centers, each receiving 24 in. or more rain in less than 24 hours. read more... Deaths and Damage:   Total flood damage was estimated at $3.6 million. Max. Precipitation:   24.00 in. Severity:   Catastrophic Storm Center(s):   Val Verde Co. Kinney Co. Edwards Co. References:   International Boundary and Water Commission, 1949, p. 4-18 USGS_53 USGS_56 USGS_61 NWS_4 3.   Val Verde and Adjacent Counties September 23 to 25, 1955 Rain in large amounts and of severe intensity fell Sept. 23-25 on extreme upper ends of the Nueces and South Llano River Basins and eastern Devils River Basin. A 10-in. rainfall center occurred on the West Nueces River northeast of Brackettville and west of Laguna. A 15-in. center occurred on the Dry Devils River north of Carta Valley and west of Rocksprings. A 24-in. center occurred on the Nueces River near the mouth of Hackberry Creek southeast of Rocksprings. Most of the rain fell during the night Sept. 23 and morning Sept. 24. Deaths and Damage:   Unknown Max. Precipitation:   24.00 in. Severity:   Major Storm Storm Center(s):   Edwards Co., Rocksprings References:   Wells, 1962, p. 123-127 no images available 4.   Sterling County September 16 to 17, 1936 The storm was centered over Broome in Sterling County. Broome recorded 23.5 in. during the 18-hour period 9:00 p.m. Sept. 16 to 3:00 p.m. Sept. 17. read more... Deaths and Damage:   Unknown Max. Precipitation:   23.50 in. Severity:   Catastrophic Storm Center(s):   Sterling Co., Broome References:   U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, unpub. data USGS_63 5.   Southeast Texas September 17 to 19, 1963 Hurricane Cindy entered the Texas coast between Galveston and Port Arthur at 7:00 a.m. Sept. 17. Rainfall was 15-20 in. on the lower reaches of the Sabine and Neches Rivers. Maximum recorded rainfall was 23.5 in. at Deweyville in Newton County. Deaths and Damage:   Two people drowned, and damage was estimated at $11.7 million. Max. Precipitation:   23.50 in. Severity:   Major Storm Storm Center(s):   Newton Co., Deweyville References:   Rostvedt and others, 1968b, p. 111-112 no images available 6.   Upper Gulf Coast July 27 to 29, 1943 A hurricane entered the Galveston Bay area about noon July 27, moved inland over Galveston Bay, passed over Houston shortly after midnight, and continued on toward Navasota with a rapid decrease in intensity. Maximum recorded storm rainfall was 23.0 in. at Devers in Liberty County 1:00 p.m. July 27 to 1:00 a.m. July 29. Deaths and Damage:   Unknown Max. Precipitation:   23.00 in. Severity:   Major Storm Storm Center(s):   Liberty Co., Devers References:   Schoner and Molansky, 1956; U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, unpub. data no images available 7.   Rio Grande Watershed September 14 to 25, 1974 Rainfall during the period averaged about 8 in. on the entire watershed from Fort Quitman in Hudspeth County to Amistad Dam in Val Verde County, 10.5 in. in the Pecos River watershed and 8.5 in. in the Devils River watershed. Extremely heavy rains fell on localized areas of both the Pecos River and Devils River watersheds. Continental Ranch in the Pecos River watershed recorded a total of 23 in. during 9 days. In the Devils River watershed, a total of 21.58 in. of rain fell at Walker Ranch during 6 days. Bakers Crossing had almost 12 in. of rain during 24 hours. Deaths and Damage:   Unknown Max. Precipitation:   23.00 in. Severity:   Major Storm Storm Center(s):   Hudspeth Co., Continental Ranch References:   International Boundary and Water Commission, 1974 no images available 8.   North-Central Texas and Oklahoma October 10 to 14, 1981 The storm extended in a southwest-to-northeast direction from near Abilene to near McAlester, Okla. Maximum recorded rainfall was 23 in. during 34 hours about 5 mi north of Clyde, Tex. Numerous areas reported rains exceeding 10 in. Deaths and Damage:   Six lives were lost, and damage was about $115 million. Max. Precipitation:   23.00 in. Severity:   Catastrophic Storm Center(s):   Callahan Co., Clyde References:   Buckner and Kurklin, 1984 no images available 9.   Northeast Texas April 22 to 29, 1966 The storm produced 20-26 in. of rain in parts of Wood, Smith, Harris, Upshur, Gregg, Marion, and Harrison Counties during the 8-day period Apr. 22-29. Most of the rain fell during a 72-hour period Apr. 22-25. The heaviest rains were centered over the Gilmer-Harleton area. At Gladewater, 22.74 in. fell during 60 hours. Deaths and Damage:   At least 25 persons lost their lives in the flood. Total damage was estimated at $12 million. Max. Precipitation:   22.74 in. Severity:   Catastrophic Storm Center(s):   Upshur Co., Gilmer References:   Rostvedt and others, 1971, p. 25-26 no images available 10.   South-Central Texas June 28 to 30, 1940 Maximum recorded rainfall at Engle in Fayette County was 22.7 in. during the 2-day period June 29-30, with 17.5 in. 8:00 p.m. June 29 to 8:00 a.m. June 30. The heaviest 2-day rainfall at Smithville in Bastrop County was 20.40 in. June 29-30, with 16 in. 7:00 p.m. June 29 to 10:00 a.m. June 30. This record rainfall caused destructive floods along lower parts of the Colorado and Guadalupe Rivers and along upper parts of the Lavaca River and its creek tributaries. Deaths and Damage:   Two people drowned on the Colorado River, and seven lives were lost on the Lavaca River at Hallettsville. Property and crop losses were estimated at more than $1 million. Max. Precipitation:   22.70 in. Severity:   Major Storm Storm Center(s):   Fayette Co. References:   Breeding, 1948b, p. 1-7; U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, unpub. data USGS_22 USGS_26 11.   Texas June 30 to July 4, 1936 Rain fell June 30-July 4 on parts of the Rio Grande Basin and the Nueces, Guadalupe, Colorado, and Neches River Basins. The rain produced large peak discharges at several streamflow-gaging stations. Heavy rain, amounting to 17 in., was recorded at Eagle Pass in the Rio Grande Basin. Rainfall of more than 10 in. was recorded in the Neches River Basin at Rockland in Tyler County. The heaviest recorded rainfall was in central Guadalupe River Basin. Maximum recorded storm rainfall was 21.0 in. at Bebe in Gonzales County 1:00 a.m. June 30 to 1:00 p.m. July 1. Deaths and Damage:   Severe flooding in central Guadalupe River Basin caused 26 deaths and estimated property damage of more than $2 million. Max. Precipitation:   21.00 in. Severity:   Catastrophic Storm Center(s):   Gonzales Co., Bebe References:   Asquith and Slade, 1995; Dalrymple and others, 1937, p. 21-41; U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, unpub. data no images available 12.   Southeast Texas November 11 to 12, 1985 Intense rains of 5-21 in. caused widespread flooding in a 10-county area bordering and west of Houston. Garwood in Colorado County recorded 21 in. The most severely flooded areas were in Colorado County from south of Eagle Lake to the communities of Garwood and Lissie. Deaths and Damage:   The bridge over San Bernard River on Highway 59 was under 4 ft of water. Max. Precipitation:   21.00 in. Severity:   Major Storm Storm Center(s):   Colorado Co., Garwood References:   Moody and others, 1988, p. 18 no images available 13.   Central Texas June 27 to 30, 1913 Rainfall was light to moderate along the southern Texas coast June 27-28 as a hurricane moved inland. Maximum recorded rainfall was 20.7 in. at Montell in Uvalde County where 20.05 in. fell during the 18.5-hour period 2:30 p.m. June 28 to 9:00 a.m. June 29. Deaths and Damage:   Unknown Max. Precipitation:   20.70 in. Severity:   Major Storm Storm Center(s):   Uvalde Co., Montell References:   Schoner and Molansky, 1956; U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, unpub. data no images available 14.   Sabine and Neches River Basins April 27 to May 20, 1953 Major flooding resulted from heavy rain in the Sabine and Neches River Basins during the last few days of April and continued until May 20. At Bon Wier on the Sabine River, April rainfall totaled 11.05 in., with 8 in. Apr. 29. Rainfall totaled 20.44 in. May 1-19; 8.65 in. May 18; and 15.6 in. during the 7-day period May 13-19. Deaths and Damage:   Flood damage in the two basins was about $2.7 million. Max. Precipitation:   20.44 in. Severity:   Major Storm Storm Center(s):   Newton Co., Bon Weir References:   Wells, 1959a, p. 167-169 no images available 15.   South-Central and Northeast Texas September 15 to 30, 1964 The rain produced historically significant peak discharges at two streamflow-gaging stations. As much as 12.5 in. of rain fell during the night Sept. 15 in Dimmit County between Carrizo Springs and Encinal. As much as 15 in. fell on the Devils River Basin during 24 hours, and as much as 17 in. fell on the upper Nueces River Basin. As much as 20.33 in. was measured Sept. 15-30. During the first 8 hours of Sept. 21, more than 12 in. fell in northeastern Tarrant County, eastward over Dallas, and in Collin County. The heaviest rain fell on an area north of Dallas. Deaths and Damage:   Unknown Max. Precipitation:   20.33 in. Severity:   Major Storm Storm Center(s):   Dallas Co., Dallas References:   Rostvedt and others, 1970a, p. 82-90 no images available 16.   North-Central Texas May 23, 1952 Heavy rain fell in eastern Comanche, central Erath, and western Hood Counties 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. May 23. Maximum recorded rainfall was 20 in. 5.5 mi east of De Leon in Comanche County. Deaths and Damage:   Unknown Max. Precipitation:   20.00 in. Severity:   Major Storm Storm Center(s):   Comanche Co., DeLeon References:   Wells, 1959b, p. 699 no images available 17.   South Texas September 16 to 19, 1984 Heavy rains, some exceeding 20 in., drenched the lower Rio Grande Valley. Deaths and Damage:   Cameron and Willacy Counties experienced the worst flooding since Hurricane Beulah in 1967. It was estimated that more than 50 percent of the eastern one-half of Cameron County was underwater. Max. Precipitation:   20.00 in. Severity:   Major Storm Storm Center(s):   Cameron Co., Harlingen Willacy Co., Raymondville References:   National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 1984a, p. 20, 32 no images available