Flash Flood — Nueces, Texas

2010-09-19 · near (crp)corpus Christi, Nueces, Texas

Event narrative

Widespread flooding occurred in the Las Colonias subdivision in Corpus Christi. 171 homes received damage from the flooding with 55 homes being considered major and 2 homes destroyed. Flood water depth in the homes ranged from 1/2 foot to 4 feet in this area. One hundred and twenty five residents in the subdivision were rescued and transported to an American Red Cross shelter.

Wider weather episode

On Friday September 17th, 2010, Hurricane Karl made landfall over central Mexico near Veracruz nearly 600 miles south of Corpus Christi Texas. However, well to the north of Karl, a very moist tropical air mass resided and became the focus for a significant rainfall event. This rain event resulted in record flooding on Oso Creek in Corpus Christi, one flash flood fatality, and the flooding of numerous streets, homes, and vehicles along the immediate Texas coastline.

On Sunday September 19th, a low pressure trough developed along the mid Texas coast and interacted with an upper level disturbance which focused the heaviest rainfall over Corpus Christi, Sinton, and Rockport. The heaviest rains occurred between 900 AM and 300 PM Sunday in which up to 7 inches of rain was recorded. These heavy rains caused widespread street flooding and road closures in Aransas, San Patricio, Nueces, and Kleberg Counties. Many homes in Corpus Christi were flooded, especially in the neighborhoods near the intersection of Holly and Greenwood. On Monday September 20th, another 1 to 2 inches of rainfall were recorded.

Runoff from these heavy rains flowed into Oso Creek, which runs along the southwest edge of Corpus Christi. The only gaging site on Oso Creek, located on FM 763 about 2 miles west of town, recorded a rapid rise up to 28 feet on Sunday, before it stopped working. A post storm survey conducted by the National Weather Service and United States Geological Survey confirmed the creek crested at 30.62 feet around 805 AM Monday morning which beat the previous record of 29.37 feet set back on August 10th, 1980 during Hurricane Allen.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (27.7700, -97.5000)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 264451. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.