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2015 Texas–Oklahoma floods
2015 Texas–Oklahoma floods
2015 Texas–Oklahoma floods
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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This article documents a current severe storm and flooding outbreak. Information regarding it may change rapidly as more information becomes available. Although this article is updated frequently, it may not reflect the most current information about this severe storm and flooding outbreak for all areas. Initial news reports may be unreliable. |
Hydrograph of the Blanco River at Wimberley, Texas depicting the record flood event during the overnight of May 24–25
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| Date | May 23 – Ongoing |
|---|---|
| Location | Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas |
| Deaths | 17 confirmed,[1] 40 missing[2] Additional 13 tornado deaths in Mexico[3] |
| Property damage | Unknown |
Contents
Meteorological synopsis
Mammatus clouds formed over Bull Creek park after wave of Memorial Day storms in Austin, 25 May 2015.
Flooding
On 14 May 2015, prior to extensive flooding beginning around 24 May, flash flood warnings were issued for counties in South East Texas.[7] At least 17 people were killed in Texas and Oklahoma.[1]Texas
Flooding along the Wichita River prompted evacuations of 390 homes in Wichita Falls. Projections from the National Weather Service indicated that the river would reach a record crest of 25.5 ft (7.8 m) on May 26.[8] Up to 100,000 customers were without power.[9]Wichita Falls and Corpus Christi broke their previous records for all-time wettest month. Many parts in northern Texas recorded over 20 in (510 mm) of rain.[10]
During the overnight of May 25–26, nearly 11 in (280 mm) of rain fell near Houston, setting off further flash floods. Numerous people traveling in the city were caught in the rising waters and forced to abandon their cars; more than 1,000 vehicles were submerged. Two people drowned after being trapped in their cars while a third was later found in bayou.[1] A fourth person lost their life when an evacuation boat capsized during the morning of May 26.[11] On May 26, Houston Mayor Annise Parker, estimated up to 4,000 properties with significant damage.[12]
A 25-foot-by-25-foot sinkhole near a runway at the Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport caused the closure of the runway for a few hours.[13]
Blanco River
During the overnight of May 24–25, more than 12 in (300 mm) fell along the watershed of the Blanco River. In just a few short hours, the river rose from roughly 5 ft (1.5 m) to a crest just over 41 ft (12 m), well over the 13 ft (4.0 m) flood-stage, near Wimberley.[14][15] This broke the river's all-time peak of 32 ft (9.8 m) set in 1929. Tremendous flash flooding ensued as a result, with areas of Hays County being particularly hard hit.[15]Entire blocks of homes in Wimberley were swept away by a "tidal wave of water"[1] with officials reporting 350–400 residences destroyed in the town alone. For the first time, the river covered portions of Interstate 35, shutting down traffic for hours. Large trees and debris were deposited across the roadway. The nearby Comal River saw similar flooding, with a stream gauge reporting its flow to have reached 223,000 ft3 (6,300 m3) per second before being washed away. Large piles of debris, some 20 ft (6.1 m) tall, were left behind across the area.[15]
One person in San Marcos, Texas was confirmed dead.[15] Thirteen people were carried away when the home they were in was swept downstream. Residents reported seeing it being destroyed after striking a bridge. One occupant was recovered with significant injuries while the other twelve remain missing.[16] At least 1,200 people have been left homeless along the river.[15]
Oklahoma
![[icon]](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Wiki_letter_w_cropped.svg){kind=small} |
This section requires expansion. (May 2015) |
Oklahoma City recorded over 18 inches of rainfall until May 26, which made it the all-time wettest month on record. Records date back to 1890.[10]
From May 1 to May 25, 122 tornado warnings were reported by the NWS in Oklahoma, more than in the same period for they years 2011 until 2014 combined.[18]
The Oklahoma state Transportation Department reported on May 26 that a number of highways were closed because of high water or damage from previous flooding.[19]
Elsewhere
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This section requires expansion. (May 2015) |
Response
Texas counties under a state of emergency as of May 25
On May 25, Texas Governor Greg Abbott declared a state of emergency for 24 counties as a result of the ongoing disaster.[22] On May 26, President Barack Obama announced federal resources to help affected areas in Texas, and signed a disaster declaration for Oklahoma.[23][24] Houston Mayor Annise Parker declared a local state of disaster for the city of Houston on May 26.[10]
On 26 May, Governor Mary Fallin declared a state of emergency for all 77 counties in Oklahoma.[18]
Climate change
Studies by the Scripps Institution of Oceanography found for Texas, that precipitation totals have increased 10 percent in the last century, but mostly in eastern Texas, with more frequent, severe and longer drought conditions in west Texas.[25]The report Regional Climate Trends and Scenarios for the U.S. National Climate Assessment (NCA) from 2013 by NOAA, projects that parts of Texas can expect up to 30% (High emissions scenario based on CMIP3 and NARCCAP models) increase in extreme precipitation days by midcentury. This definition is based on days receiving more than one inch of rainfall.[26]
A study from April 2015 concluded that about 18% of the moderate daily precipitation extremes over land are attributable to observed temperature increase since the Industrial Revolution, and that this primarily results from human influence.[27][28]
Tornado events
| EF0 | EF1 | EF2 | EF3 | EF4 | EF5 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 14 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 18 |
- Note: One tornado in Mexico was rated F3 but is listed as EF3 in the above table for convenience.
May 23 event
| EF# | Location | County / Parish | State | Start Coord. | Time (UTC) | Path length | Max width | Damage[note 2] | Summary | Refs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EF1 | S of Wells Branch | Travis | TX | 30.365°N 97.685°W | 0239 – 0242 | 0.6 mi (0.97 km) | 250 yd (230 m) | A business had its sheet metal roofing peeled back, and a stone brick sign was demolished. At an apartment complex, roofing shingles were damaged, large tree limbs were snapped, and a garbage dumpster was tossed. The second floor of a storage facility had its metal roof and walls collapsed. The tornado lifted and tossed 10 small moving trailers. Several power poles were blown over and additional tree limbs were snapped. | [29] | |
| EF1 | NE of Leander | Williamson | TX | 30.611°N 97.805°W | 0247 – 0250 | 0.5 mi (0.80 km) | 150 yd (140 m) | Large tree limbs were snapped. Two homes sustained damage: one had a small portion of its roofing decking removed, while the second had over half of its roofing decking removed. Two large storage sheds were moved 20 yd (18 m). | [29] |
May 24 event
| EF# | Location | County / Parish | State | Start Coord. | Time (UTC) | Path length | Max width | Damage[note 2] | Summary | Refs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EF1 | W of Corpus Christi | Nueces | TX | 27.751°N 97.430°W | 0627 – 0630 | 2.5 mi (4.0 km) | 100 yd (91 m) | Numerous trees were snapped or uprooted, some of which fell on houses and vehicles. Several residences sustained minor to moderate roof and siding damage. | [30] | |
| EF1 | N of Irving | Dallas | TX | 32.88°N 96.96°W | 0734 – 0736 | 1.1 mi (1.8 km) | 300 yd (270 m) | Extensive damage to trees, power lines, and businesses was observed. | [31] | |
| EF1 | NW of Dallas | Dallas | TX | 32.88°N 96.86°W | 0734 – 0739 | 5.1 mi (8.2 km) | 200 yd (180 m) | Trees and power lines were damaged. An apartment complex and several warehouse buildings sustained roof damage. | [31] | |
| EF1 | Southwestern Houston | Harris | TX | 29.674°N 95.528°W | 1130 – 1135 | 1 mi (1.6 km) | 50 yd (46 m) | A storage facility sustained up to low-end EF1 damage. A portion of an apartment complex had its roof completely removed and some compromise of its interior wall; four injuries occurred as a result. A 12-story glass facade building had several of its north-facing windows blown out. | [32] | |
| EF1 | S of Marshall | Harrison | TX | 32.3588°N 94.3589°W | 1634 – 1636 | 1.89 mi (3.04 km) | 128 yd (117 m) | Trees were snapped or uprooted. A house sustained roof damage when its carport was lifted, a small outbuilding was destroyed, and a warehouse sustained roof damage. | [33] | |
| EF1 | E of Marshall | Harrison | TX | 32.4719°N 94.3364°W | 1646 – 1700 | 9.52 mi (15.32 km) | 201 yd (184 m) | Damage was largely confined to snapped or uprooted trees, some of which damaged structures and vehicles. | [33] | |
| EF1 | E of Lowry City | St. Clair | MO | 38.1052°N 93.712°W | 1715 – 1720 | 4.63 mi (7.45 km) | 200 yd (180 m) | Several outbuildings and two homes were severely damaged, and numerous trees were damaged or uprooted. | [34] | |
| EF1 | W of Theodosia | Ozark | MO | 36.5859°N 92.7058°W | 2259 – 2308 | 4.5 mi (7.2 km) | 200 yd (180 m) | A tornado damaged or destroyed three barns, caused minor damage to a mobile home, and snapped or uprooted hundreds of trees. | [34] | |
| EF2 | N of New Boston | Mercer | IL | 41.2527°N 90.9853°W | 2350 – 0000 | 6.7 mi (10.8 km) | 50 yd (46 m) | A large machine shed and two garages were completely destroyed, and a house had a portion of its roof ripped off. Additional trees and outbuildings were damaged. | [35] | |
| EF1 | W of Plains | Meade | KS | 37.246°N 100.641°W | Unknown | Unknown | Unknown | The roofs of two outbuildings were ripped off, while another outbuildings had its doors collapsed. Numerous pivots were damaged, one of which was mangled. | [36] | |
| EF2 | S of Ensign | Gray | KS | 37.619°N 100.27°W | Unknown | Unknown | Unknown | A power pole was collapsed while others were bent. A residence had its roof ripped off, chimney collapsed, garage doors blown inward, and carport failed. A trailer was thrown over 50 yd (46 m) and impaled the corner of the house. Several trees were uprooted. Two cars were rolled into a field and severely damaged. | [36] |
May 25 event
| EF# | Location | County / Parish | State | Start Coord. | Time (UTC) | Path length | Max width | Damage[note 2] | Summary | Refs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EF1 | S of Keener | Jefferson | LA | 29.97°N 90.25°E | 0622 | Unknown | 75–100 yd (69–91 m) | One building suffered structural damage as of result of this tornado which also damaged trees and took down power lines. | [37] | |
| EF0 | WSW of Amory | Monroe | MS | 33.9464°N 88.635°W | 1341 – 1347 | 4.3 mi (6.9 km) | 70 yd (64 m) | Trees were snapped or uprooted, some of which damaged the roof of several homes. | [38] | |
| EF1 | Amory | Monroe | MS | 33.9816°N 88.4885°W | 1351 – 1357 | 2.5 mi (4.0 km) | 150 yd (140 m) | Numerous trees were snapped or uprooted, some of which damaged the roofs of homes, carports, and storage sheds, and power poles were bent. A few homes had areas of shingles removed. | [38] | |
| EF1 | W of Cedar Creek | Bastrop | TX | 30.085°N 97.542°W | 2124 | 3 mi (4.8 km) | 440 yd (400 m) | Many trees were snapped or uprooted. A few barns and a greenhouse were destroyed, and 12 homes were damaged. | [39] | |
| F3 | Ciudad Acuña | Coah. | ~1130 | Unknown | Unknown | 13 deaths – Large tornado struck a densely populated community in Ciudad Acuña, near the Mexico–United States border, causing extensive damage. At least 400 structures were damaged or destroyed and more than 200 people were injured. | [40][41] |
See also
Notes
- All damage totals are in 2015 USD unless otherwise stated.
References
- Mariano Castillo and Rey Rodriguez (May 25, 2015). "13 dead after tornado strikes border city in Mexico". CNN. Retrieved May 26, 2015.
“The bottom line is that things are not that complicated,” Dr. Knutti said. “You make the world a degree or two warmer, and there will be more hot days. There will be more moisture in the atmosphere, so that must come down somewhere.”
We show that at the present-day warming of 0.85 °C about 18% of the moderate daily precipitation extremes over land are attributable to the observed temperature increase since pre-industrial times, which in turn primarily results from human influence. … Likewise, today about 75% of the moderate daily hot extremes over land are attributable to warming.
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