Tropical Storm — Matagorda, Texas

2015-06-15 to 2015-06-17 · Matagorda, Texas

Event narrative

Strong winds and minor coastal flooding occurred. Roads were flooded and closed around Sargent. Flood waters rose around homes in the city of Matagorda but no damage was reported. The Palacios ASOS reported a wind gust of 53 mph at 11:05 am local time.

Wider weather episode

Tropical Storm Bill made landfall at Matagorda Island on the morning of June 16th. Strong winds and minor coastal flooding occurred near Matagorda Bay in Jackson and Matagorda Counties and along the coast of Brazoria and Galveston Counties. Heavy rainfall of over 13 inches caused significant inland flooding in and around the towns of Lolita, Edna, and Ganado. The maximum sustained wind reported in Matagorda Bay was 45 knots (52 mph). The maximum wind gust of 54 knots (62 mph) was reported on the Bolivar Peninsula at Crab Lake. There were no reported tornadoes associated with Tropical Storm Bill.

Storm surge heights ranged from 2.1 feet in Chambers County to 3.2 feet in Galveston County. Roads were flooded and closed around Sargent in Matagorda County. Flood waters rose around homes in the city of Matagorda but no damage was reported. In Brazoria County, surge produced minor coastal flooding near Surfside beaches, the Treasure Island subdivision and San Luis Pass Park but with little or no damage. In the village of Surfside Beach, Seashell, Surf and Beach Roads were closed due to high water form storm surge. All countywide beach access roads were closed. Heavy rain caused the flooding of Chocolate and Halls Bayous. There were four trees that were downed by wind. There was minor coastal flooding on the Bolivar Peninsula in Galveston County with some debris removal required off of State Highway 87. High surf caused erosion of Galveston Island beaches. Sand and debris washed up on the streets of various West End island communities. There was minor flooding damage to downstairs garages in Jamaica Beach with two temporarily closed roads. in Harris County, there was minor storm surge flooding in Shoreacres, Clear Lake Shores, and along Toddville Road in Seabrook. Two feet of water impacted Shoreacres when Taylor Bayou came out of banks. Parks in Nassau Bay also experienced minor storm surge flooding. in Chambers County, there were low lying rural roads that experienced minor coastal flooding.

High rainfall occurred near the core of Bill and also within its outer bands that tapped into higher moisture that fed back into the tropical storm. This high rainfall caused inland flooding. Storm total rainfall ranged from 1.38 inches in San Jacinto County to 13.78 inches in Ganado (Jackson County). In Jackson County, FM 1593 west of La Ward and State Highway 59 from Edna to the Wharton County line were closed. Flash flooding in Washington County caused road closures in the town of Brenham early in the morning of the 17th. In Grimes County, numerous roads were closed including FM 3090 north of Navasota and FM 1774 north of Plantersville. In Wharton County, several roads were closed in El Campo. In Colorado County, numerous roads were closed including FM 2761, FM 2434, and FM 532. In Houston County, Highway 287 near Crockett and SH 19 between Crockett and Lovelady were closed. In Walker County, there were ten county roads and a state highway that were flooded.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 589201. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.