More than foot of rain falls during Texas storms

[Ratickle]

Hope all of our friends are okay!

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Heavy rains in Central and South Texas led to a frightening scene for a couple who was rescued by a helicopter Thursday after their SUV was swept away by floodwaters and left them clinging to trees for hours.

The National Weather Service said more than a foot of rain fell in Central Texas, including up to 14 inches in Wimberley, since rainstorms began Wednesday.

"It looks to be one of the worst areas with the heaviest rainfall totals," said NWS meteorologist Steve Smart said as storms began moving to the east Thursday.

The storm system stretches from the Great Lakes to the Gulf Coast and carries heavy rain and strong winds. In Texas, Houston motorists also were slowed Thursday morning by heavy rain, which caused flooding in some areas.

Austin and its surrounding communities saw numerous rescues, officials said, but none like that in Buda, about 10 miles south of the capital city.

Around 4 a.m. Thursday, emergency personnel received calls from people living near Little Bear Creek about somebody screaming for help, Buda Fire Department Chief Clay Huckaby said.

Rescuers spotted a man and his girlfriend in trees about 200 yards downstream from the roadway they'd been driving their SUV on, he said.

"The water was over the road by about 15 feet by the time we arrived at the scene. They were about 10 feet above the water line hanging from trees," Huckaby said.

http://news.yahoo.com/more-foot-rain...150356958.html

[Ratickle]

Halloween storms flood Texas on tear across USA

Michael Winter, USA TODAY 8:18 a.m. EDT November 1, 2013

More than 100 people were rescued in Austin as severe weather swept across U.S. midsection.

Severe thunderstorms delivered a frightening, and in at least one case tragic, Halloween across the nation's midsection Thursday as torrential rains flooded Central Texas, brought threats of tornadoes in several states and knocked down power lines that led to a 9-year-old Tennessee boy's death.

The heart of the Lone Star State was drenched with up to 14 inches of rain. Flash floods killed a motorist south of Austin when he was swept out his vehicle. More than 100 people were rescued or evacuated from the floodwaters that swamped more than 500 homes in the state capital.

"We saw very significant flooding," City Manager Marc Ott said at a midday news conference about noon after a helicopter tour. "In some cases people cut holes through rooftops to have access to the outside."

He said that although there were reported fatalities, "we have many areas that need to be searched."

The downpour began late Wednesday, and by Thursday morning, Onion Creek reached a record high of 41 feet and continued to rise, inundating the Bluff Springs area, officials said.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/n...oding/3330979/

[Ratickle]

Unfortunately!

LCRA: rain falls in wrong spot again
October 31st, 2013 at 3:10 pm by Jim Spencer under Weather

The heavy rain that fell over parts of Travis and Hays counties late Wednesday and early Thursday will cause serious flooding downstream of Austin over the next few days, according to the National Weather Service. Floodwaters from the Austin area are now in the Colorado River flowing toward Matagorda Bay. For information on river levels and flood forecasts, go to the LCRA Flood Summary page, scroll to “River Levels and Forecasts” and click on the National Weather Service River Forecasts for specific gauges.


Storm causes flooding in parts of Austin, but falls downstream of Highland Lakes’ reservoirs

The storm that poured 5 to 8 inches of rain on parts of Austin late Wednesday and early Thursday caused localized flooding and prompted LCRA to open floodgates on Tom Miller Dam in Austin for several hours. However, the rain will do little to help the severe drought affecting the region’s water supply because it fell downstream of the Highland Lakes’ watershed.

In order for rain to fill lakes Travis and Buchanan, the region’s reservoirs, it must fall in the 11,700-mile watershed surrounding the Highland Lakes, an area upstream of Austin stretching north past San Saba and west past Fredericksburg and Junction.

Less than an inch of rain fell in the watershed that runs off into Lake Travis, and there was no measurable rain in much of the area that runs off into Lake Buchanan. The combined storage of lakes Travis and Buchanan increased slightly overnight and is now at 36 percent of capacity.

Through noon Thursday, Lake Travis had risen about 6 inches and Lake Buchanan rose about half an inch.

Much of the overnight rains fell into creeks in the Lake Austin watershed, below Lake Travis. LCRA opened floodgates on Tom Miller Dam, which forms Lake Austin, for several hours late Wednesday and early Thursday to keep the lake within its operating range. LCRA has no way to capture floodwaters that enter the river below Lake Travis.

Floodwaters are now in the Colorado River downstream of Austin, flowing toward Matagorda Bay. Heavy flows downstream should be expected for the next few days. LCRA’s Hydromet provides up-to-the-minute information on rain totals, lake levels and stream flow.

LCRA is building a reservoir in Wharton County near the Gulf Coast to take advantage of rain events like these. The reservoir will allow LCRA to capture flows that enter the Colorado River downstream of Lake Travis and hold them for later use. The new reservoir is expected to be complete by 2017.

http://blogs.kxan.com/2013/10/31/lcr...ng-spot-again/

[old377guy]

Hey Clay, what's up???

[Ratickle]

Jim says on the north side of Austin, where he and Lake Travis are, they got maybe an inch. South side of Austin got all the rain.

[clayinaustin]

Austin flooded. Lake Travis got almost nothing.

[Ratickle]

Travis did come up a few weeks ago though, didn't it?

[clayinaustin]

Yes. It went from 621 to 625, or from 60 feet low to "only" 56 feet low.

[Ratickle]

"Only"