Storm Surge/Tide — Coastal Calhoun County, Texas

2020-09-19 to 2020-09-23 · Coastal Calhoun County, Texas

Event narrative

Tide levels ranged from 2 to 3.5 feet of inundation during the period. Ocean Drive between Magnolia Beach and Indianola was flooded from storm surge. Water was over the road on Washington, Maple, and Water Streets in Port O'Connor. Water was over the road on Farm to Market Road 1090 in Port Lavaca. Water entered into some of bait shops near the water in Port O'Connor.

Wider weather episode

Tropical Storm Beta began as a low pressure area over the southwest Gulf of Mexico on September 16th. This system organized into a tropical depression on the 17th as it moved slowly northward. It became Tropical Storm Beta on the 18th while moving north into the northwest Gulf of Mexico. It became stationary on the 19th as steering flow collapsed. Beta moved on a slow and steady course to the west-northwest toward the Middle Texas coast on the 20th and 21st and made landfall on the southern end of the Matagorda Peninsula late on the evening of 21st. With the slow movement of Beta and higher astronomical tides, a long duration coastal flood event occurred from the 19th to early on the 23rd, with 2 to 3.5 feet of inundation occurring along the Middle Texas coast. The high tides and surge flooded several roads in Corpus Christi, Aransas Pass, Rockport, Fulton, Port O'Connor, Indianola, and Port Lavaca. Locally heavy rainfall occurred during the early morning hours of the 22nd over eastern Victoria County that produced flash flooding in Inez.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 921690. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.