Event narrative (NOAA)
Heavy rains in excess of 14 inches upstream of Austin in the Onion Creek Watershed near Wimberley caused a flash flood that hit portions of South Austin in the early morning hours. Water started to rise and flood portions of the Onion Creek area near Interstate 35 by 4-5am on the morning of the 31st and water continued to rise into the early morning hours. USGS gauges were overtopped near Twin Creek Road and this record flood water continued to move along Onion creek, passing under I-35 and inundating several neighborhoods between I-35 and US Highway 183. A reverse 911 was utilized by the City of Austin to help evacuate residents but flood waters rose so quickly that most residents sheltered in place and were rescued by truck and helicopter later that morning. Those that tried to escap
Other notable flash flood events in Texas
Source: NOAA/NCEI Storm Events Database. Deaths and injuries are those NOAA classifies as direct. Damage is the reporting office's estimate at the time and is not inflation-adjusted. This is a catalogue record, not a forecast.