PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HOUSTON/GALVESTON TX
725 PM CDT WED MAY 23 2007

...THE CENTRAL TEXAS WAR HURRICANE OF 1942...
...WRITTEN BY NWS AUSTIN/SAN ANTONIO...

WITH A STRONG EL NINO EVENT CONTINUING THROUGH THE WAR YEARS OF
1941 AND 1942...SOUTH CENTRAL TEXAS HAD ENJOYED SLIGHTLY ABOVE
NORMAL RAINFALL AND MILD WINTER TEMPERATURES. TYPICAL OF AN EL NINO
SUMMER...ONLY SIX NAMED TROPICAL STORMS OR HURRICANES HAD FORMED IN
THE ATLANTIC BASIN IN 1941. STILL...THE FIRST...A SEPTEMBER TROPICAL
STORM...CROSSED INTO CENTRAL TEXAS BEFORE DYING.

THE SUMMER OF 1942 APPEARED TO BE DEVELOPING IN THE SAME MANNER.
THE MONTHS OF JUNE AND JULY AND THE FIRST HALF OF AUGUST SAW NO
TROPICAL DEVELOPMENT AT ALL. FINALLY ON AUGUST 17...A TROPICAL STORM
FORMED NEAR YUCATAN. IT DEVELOPED QUICKLY INTO A CATEGORY ONE
HURRICANE...MOVED INLAND NEAR GALVESTON...AND PROCEEDED NORTHWARD
THROUGH EAST TEXAS. AS THE REMNANTS OF THIS STORM WERE DISSIPATING
ON AUGUST 21...A NEW TROPICAL STORM FORMED NEAR THE LEEWARD ISLANDS.
IT MOVED ALONG A WEST NORTHWEST COURSE...STRENGTHENING TO A
HURRICANE ON AUGUST 24...AND BEGINNING A SLOW SWING TOWARD THE
NORTHWEST. BY AUGUST 29....IT HAD BUILT INTO A CATEGORY 3 HURRICANE
WITH SUSTAINED WINDS WELL OVER 100 MPH AND WAS LOCATED 400 MILES
SOUTHEAST OF MATAGORDA...TEXAS. IT CONTINUED TO MOVE TOWARD THE
NORTHWEST...DIRECTLY TOWARD THE MID TEXAS COAST.

THE HURRICANE STRUCK THE TEXAS COAST NEAR MATAGORDA JUST AFTER
MIDNIGHT ON THE MORNING OF AUGUST 30...1942. SCHOOL BUILDINGS HAD
BEEN PREPARED AS SHELTERS AND THOUSANDS OF REFUGEES HAD ALREADY BEEN
EVACUATED PRIOR TO LANDFALL BY A CONVOY OF TRUCKS...BUSES AND
TRAINS. RAIN SQUALLS COMPLICATED THEIR ESCAPE. SEVERAL BOATS AND
BARGES WERE REPORTED DAMAGED OR SUNK IN THE FURY OF THE WINDS. TIDES
ACCOMPANYING THE HURRICANE WERE ESTIMATED AT 15 FEET...AND THE
COMBINATION OF WINDS AND TIDES DESTROYED NEARLY EVERY HOME AND
BUILDING IN THE TOWN OF MATAGORDA. WATER WAS REPORTED TO BE STANDING
IN THE TOWN UP TO 8 FEET DEEP.

BY 6 AM ON THE MORNING OF SUNDAY...AUGUST 30...THE HURRICANE HAD
WEAKENED TO A VERY STRONG TROPICAL STORM...AND WAS LOCATED NEAR
HALLETTSVILLE...WITH SUSTAINED WINDS OF 60 MPH. NEAR NOON THAT
DAY...THE TROPICAL STORM HAD MOVED OVER SAN MARCOS AND SUSTAINED
WINDS OF 50 TO 60 MPH WERE REPORTED IN THE METROPOLITAN AREAS AROUND
AUSTIN AND SAN ANTONIO. AS THE SYSTEM CONTINUED NORTHWESTWARD...IT
SLOWED AND WEAKENED...REACHING THE TOWN OF LLANO BY THE EVENING OF
AUGUST 30. SHORTLY AFTERWARD...IT DIMINISHED TO A TROPICAL
DEPRESSION AND DISSIPATED NEAR SWEETWATER ON AUGUST 31.

THE DESTRUCTION AND DEVASTATION BROUGHT TO SOUTH CENTRAL TEXAS BY
THIS HURRICANE IS THE WORST IN THE 20TH CENTURY. ITS PATH WAS WELL
MARKED FROM THE MID COAST INLAND. THE VICTORIA COUNTY SHERIFFS
DEPARTMENT REPORTED EVERY HOUSE DAMAGED TO SOME EXTENT. CUERO
REPORTED PEAK WINDS NEAR HURRICANE FORCE...CAUSING EXTENSIVE DAMAGE
TO HUNDREDS OF HOMES AND WIDESPREAD CROP DAMAGE. YOAKUM REPORTED
MORE DAMAGE FROM THIS HURRICANE THAN FROM ANY OTHER EVENT IN ITS
HISTORY. THE TOWNS OF REFUGIO...PALACIOS AND EDNA WERE ALSO REPORTED
BY THE WEATHER BUREAU IN HOUSTON TO HAVE BEEN HIT VERY HARD.
COMMUNICATIONS WERE CUT OFF IN CORPUS CHRISTI AND ARANSAS PASS.
SEVERE DAMAGE WAS REPORTED TO BUILDINGS AND HOMES IN BEEVILLE...
SINTON AND ROCKPORT.

FURTHER INLAND FROM THE COAST...NUMEROUS BUILDINGS WERE DAMAGED IN
FLORESVILLE. NEARLY 4 INCHES OF RAIN FELL OVER MUCH OF ATASCOSA
COUNTY...WITH TREES UPROOTED AND MANY HOMES DAMAGED. DOZENS OF HOMES
WERE DAMAGED IN SEGUIN AND HUNDREDS OF TREES WERE UPROOTED BY WHAT
WAS DESCRIBED AS THE WORST STORM EXPERIENCED HERE SINCE THE BIG BLOW
OF 1886. DAMAGE IN NEW BRAUNFELS WAS MAINLY CONFINED TO TREES. THE
CITY OF AUSTIN REPORTED WIDESPREAD TREES AND POWER LINES BLOWN DOWN.

THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO WAS BATTERED BY 50 TO 70 MPH WIND GUSTS FOR
MORE THAN FIVE HOURS...CAUSING EXTENSIVE DAMAGE TO HOMES AND
UTILITIES. ELECTRIC POWER AND TELEPHONE SERVICE WERE LOST ACROSS THE
CITY. WINDS DAMAGED ALL BUT FIVE OF THE 75 AIRCRAFT AT SAN ANTONIO
MUNICIPAL AIRPORT IN SPITE OF STAKES BEING DRIVEN 8 FEET IN THE
GROUND TO HOLD THE PLANES. THE GREATEST DAMAGE IN SAN ANTONIO WAS TO
TREES. HUNDREDS OF OLD...LARGE TREES WERE UPROOTED IN WHAT WAS
GENERALLY REGARDED AS THE GREATEST DESTRUCTION IN THE CITYS HISTORY
SINCE 1899. ONE HISTORIC BUILDING THAT DID NOT APPARENTLY SUFFER
SEVERELY FROM THE STORM WAS THE ALAMO. ALTHOUGH THE ALAMO GROUNDS
WERE BADLY DAMAGED...WITH MANY OLD AND LARGE TREES BLOWN OVER...THE
ANCIENT WALLS SUCCESSFULLY RESISTED THE STORM.

THE WAR HURRICANE OF 1942 THAT CAUSED SO MUCH DAMAGE TO SOUTH
CENTRAL TEXAS IS A REMINDER THAT EVEN TEXANS LIVING WELL AWAY FROM
THE COAST CAN BECOME THE VICTIMS OF HURRICANES AND TROPICAL STORMS.
IT IS IMPORTANT TO BE PREPARED FOR ALL THE ASSOCIATED THREATS...THE
DAMAGING WINDS...THE HEAVY RAINFALL...AND EVEN TORNADOES.

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AGAIN THANKS ALL WHO ARE INVOLVED IN
PREPARING TEXANS FOR THESE WEATHER THREATS.