Flood — Fayette, Texas

2017-08-27 to 2017-08-30 · near Rabbs Prairie, Fayette, Texas

Event narrative

Tropical Storm force winds and winds gusts caused minor tree damage. A few trees were uprooted. The highest rainfall total was 29.19 inches outside of LaGrange in Fayette County. Most locations in Fayette County received 20 or more inches of rain. Heavy rain and flooding caused the evacuation of about 400 residents as the Colorado River at LaGrange rose to 54.2 feet. This was the third highest crest ever. Much of the city below Waters Street was flooded. Schools in the Fayetteville Independent School District sustained $80,000 damage. There were roughly 400 impacted homes across the county, 200 had substantial flood damage, 150 moderate damage, and 50 minor damage. About 2 dozen businesses in and near LaGrange sustained major flood damage. Flooding was mainly along the Colorado River from Bastrop County all the way through Fayette County. Additional flooding and homes flooded along Buckners Creek in LaGrange and Cummins Creek near Round Top area. 5 to 6 homes flooded near Fayetteville. Infrastructure loss from roads and bridges across the county is about $500K. Insured/uninsured losses is unknown but is likely in the tens of millions.

Wider weather episode

Hurricane Harvey moved onshore as a Category 4 hurricane over San Jose Island east of Rockport during the late evening of August 25th. Harvey moved inland entering southern DeWitt County during the morning of August 26th as a Category 1 hurricane. It continued to weaken as it moved farther inland eventually reaching south central Gonzales County as a tropical storm during the late evening of August 26th. The center of the storm made a loop through Gonzales, Karnes, and DeWitt Counties before exiting our County Warning Area during the afternoon of August 27th moving into Victoria County. The maximum sustained winds were 46 mph recorded at Austin Bergstrom International Airport and at two private weather stations, one near Yorktown and the other near Smiley. The maximum recorded wind gusts were 58 mph at New Braunfels Airport, Randolph AFB, and at a private weather station near Smiley. The highest rainfall total was 29.19 inches outside of LaGrange in Fayette County. A number of places in Fayette, Lavaca, and Bastrop Counties received 20 or more inches of rain. Tropical storm force winds with estimated gusts up to 60 mph caused damage across the region. Trees and branches were knocked down by the winds. Some of these in turn knocked down power lines causing power outages in Bastrop, Comal, Hays, and Guadalupe Counties. At one point, 15,000 customers in Comal County were without power. There was also some minor structural damage in Caldwell, Comal, and Lavaca Counties. Maximum rainfall totals in these counties ranged from 4.67 inches in Bexar to 29.19 in Fayette. Flooding and flash flooding forced 608 people to be evacuated from their homes. Most of these, 400, were in Fayette County.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (29.9599, -96.9075)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 798846. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.