National Weather Service Weather Forecast Office

Flooding is America’s number one disaster, on average, costing billions of dollars and hundreds of lives annually. Nearly all cities and many towns have experienced flooding at one time or another. In a cruel twist of fate, the 2011 Drought which brought more than $10 billion in lost crop, livestock, and property damage to Texas also brought little significant rainfall. There were no deaths directly from flooding in Texas in 2011. The Rio Grande Valley had a record setting dry water year from October 2010 to September 2011. Despite the unprecedented dry period, nuisance flooding is never too far away; heavy rainfall on June 22nd and 23rd 2011 caused nuisance urban flooding from Weslaco to Mercedes.

Rio Grande Valley residents should never let their flood guard down. Just one year prior to the exceptional drought, flooding was a primary story in 2010, starting with a week long period of locally heavy rainfall April 12th through 18th that produced localized floods in Brownsville, McAllen, Mission, and Harlingen. Flooding affected the May 18th morning commute around McAllen, and persistent thunderstorms flooded Falfurrias on May 25th. These events were just a prelude to the big flood story of 2010, led off by Alex on June 30th and July 1st, and culminating with the Rio Grande Flood through July and August. Finally, the flood season finished in style, as mid September heavy rainfall flooded Cameron County.

In 2008, the Rio Grande Valley was no stranger to flooding, either. Hurricane Dolly dropped more than a foot of rain on portions of Cameron and Willacy Counties during late July; another foot of rain fell in and near Roma (Starr County) between August 18th and 25th. In each case, hundreds, if not thousands, of structures were flooded, and water rescues of stranded residents were necessary. Click here for a short video of freshwater flooding in northeast Cameron County due to Hurricane Dolly.

How will the rest of 2012 fare? Unlike the winter of 2010/2011, which featured limited rainfall and a freeze, February into early March 2012 have brought above normal precipitation. That said, even as La Niña gradually fades, dry and warm weather looks to return for March through May. While it is to soon to forecast specific spring and summer rain events, we must remember the Rio Grande Valley is in a river delta. The low lying landscape, combined with plenty of poor drainage areas, means that heavy rain in a short period of time can cause big problems – any time of year.

Flooding and Fatalities
Flooding remains the number one cause of weather related fatalities in Texas over the long term. Texas leads the nation in the number of flood related deaths in the past 50 years. Pennsylvania rates a distant second, with about 3 times fewer flood related deaths. Some of the high flood mortality rate can be explained by the sheer size of Texas, combined with its unique location in the center of frequent air mass "wars" between warm, humid air from the Gulf of Mexico and Bay of Campeche with drier, cooler air masses moving off of the southern Rockies and northern Sierra Madre in Mexico. However, human behavioral issues may also contribute to the value. Click here for more details on Texas Flood Fatalities.

The following statistics were compiled for events recorded in Storm Data for direct flood related deaths, nationwide (including Puerto Rico), in 2011:

Stay safe this year! The following information, and links, can help you prepare for flooding - anytime, and anywhere.