Flash Flood — Jasper, Texas

2016-03-09 to 2016-03-10 · near Gist, Jasper, Texas

Event narrative

Multi day rainfall amounts of 4 to 12 inches fell across Jasper County with the most falling on the 9th and 10th. Many roads experienced flooding with many closed. Multiple rescues were done during the event with people trapped inside flooded homes in Kirbyville and other towns. Around 136 homes had minor flooding, 82 had major flooding, and 5 were destroyed. Thirteen businesses also received major flooding damages. Most of the flooded structures were around Kirbyville.

Wider weather episode

A cut off upper low over West Texas and a stalled frontal boundary over Southeast Texas produced multiple days of very heavy rainfall over the region. Widespread flash flooding occurred across the area with totals ranging from 5 to 20 inches. The highest rainfall total occurred at the Toledo Bend Dam with 15 to 20 inches of rainfall common over the reservoir. This pushed the lake level to an all time high of 174.36 feet which is several inches higher than the previous record crest from 1989. During the event a strong onshore flow also kept tides elevated.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (31.1711, -93.5706)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 625299. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.