Flash Flooding in Texas, Kansas, Punctuates Week-Long Siege of Severe Storms and Tornadoes in the Plains

Over 17 inches of rain hammered the official reporting station in Brenham, Texas, about 65 miles west-northwest of downtown Houston, shattering a record 24-hour rain event for Washington County, Texas, according to the National Weather Service.

A cooperative CoCoRaHS observer just east of the city measured 19.14 inches, having to empty his gauge once to avoid overflow, according to the NWS.  

(NEWS WRAP: Flooding Impacts)

Emergency crews in Bastrop County, Texas, were "overwhelmed with water rescues and other emergency calls" overnight Thursday night, according to a National Weather Service civil emergency message.

Numerous roads were flooded, with several washouts and even one bridge damaged by flooding in the county.

Austin-Bergstrom Airport picked up 8.79 inches Thursday, the second wetttest calendar-day rain at that site dating to 1942. The wettest day at that particular site was just about seven months ago, when a deluge of 12.49 inches on October 30 prompted the airport tower to close.

All this heavy rain sent area rivers into major flood stage.

Floodwaters poured into neighborhoods near Spring Creek in the north side of the Houston metro area Friday and Saturday. The river was expected to peak over 14 feet higher than the crest on May 28, 2015, topped only by the Oct. 1994 flood. 

Flooding of homes was expected near Peach Creek and the West Fork of the San Jacinto River northeast of downtown Houston, and along the Trinity River at Liberty, as well.

Davidson Creek near Lyons (southwest of College Station) topped its previous record level from October 1994. The Brazos River near Hempstead reached its second highest level, topped only by a crest in December 1913.

The Colorado River topped out slightly above crests from last May and November near Smithville, inundating some area homes. Downstream crests in La Grange and Columbus were also from 2 to 5 feet above May 2015, and a Monday crest in Wharton may flood homes in the city's west side. 

Numerous roads were also flooded in parts of Kansas. A community building in Lyndon, Kansas, was flooded by 2-3 feet of water, a small mudslide was triggered Friday morning in Lawrence, Kansas, and a water rescue was prompted at a home west of Ottawa, Kansas.

Thursday and early Friday morning, there were over 260 reports of severe weather, including 17 reports of tornadoes. A tornado just after midday damaged multiple homes in Bryan, Texas.

A thunderstorm approaching Kansas City, Missouri, had a confirmed tornado associated with it. Multiple reports stated that the Kansas City International Airport had to be evacuated due to the incoming severe weather. Travelers were instructed to move into the garage.

This follows what has been several days of severe weather in the central states in the week before Memorial Day.

(MORE: Large Kansas Tornado Wednesday | Dodge City's "Near-Miss" | Twin Tornadoes: Not As Rare As You Think)

This extended siege of severe weather was triggered by ripples of energy ejecting eastward from a southward dip in the jet stream across the West, followed by a stronger upper-level trough swinging through the Plains later in the week. Intercepting a warm, muggy air mass, the result was a rash of severe thunderstorms and tornadoes.

More Storm Reports (May 21 - May 25)

Wednesday: 

Wednesday evening, a long-lived supercell thunderstorm spawned multiple tornadoes in northern Kansas, with damage reported to at least 20 homes.

Over a 90-minute period, the tornado carved a 26-mile long path, narrowly missed the town of Chapman, and passing north of the city of Abilene. Final survey results found EF4 damage just southwest of the town, as a farmstead was completely destroyed. 

Tuesday: 

Supercell thunderstorms spawned a swarm of tornadoes over western Kansas and in parts of four other states Tuesday.

(MORE: Latest Damage Reports Recap)

Of nine total tornadoes in southwest and west-central Kansas, six of those were rated EF3, and one south of Kinsley, Kansas, was a rare anticyclonic (rotating clockwise) EF2 tornado.

Dodge City, Kansas, had a very close call from a slow-moving supercell that spawned tornadoes southwest, west, and north of the city. At times, there were two tornadoes in progress at once from that cyclical supercell.

(MORE: Dodge City, Kansas, Missed Tornado Disaster By Just Three Miles)

There were reports of a house being damaged east of Ensign, Kansas. Fortunately, the occupants of the home were said to be fine. After the tornado had passed, damage was reported on the west side of Dodge City, as well as a propane leak on the highway which blocked traffic.

Earlier Tuesday afternoon, there was a hailstorm in and around Denver, where the National Weather Service reported hailstones as large as golf balls. In fact, southeast of the city, hail was reported to be completely covering the ground – in some places so deep that it was considered "plowable."

There were even a pair of confimed tornadoes in Michigan's Upper Peninsula Tuesday, southwest of Marquette, Michigan. These were the first May tornadoes in Marquette County since at least 1973.

It wasn't just tornadoes Tuesday. Over six inches of rain triggered severe flash flooding in northeast Arkansas, including the city of Jonesboro. 

For more on Tuesday's storm reports, click here to read our impacts article.

Monday:

On Monday evening, tornadoes were reported in Oklahoma and Texas. A tornado was spotted on the ground just north of Woodward, Oklahoma. No damage was reported in the area. Another tornado was later reported near Northfield, Texas.

There were a few baseball-size hail reports near Sanderson, Texas, Monday evening. In Silverton, Texas, there was a minor accumulation of 0.75-inch to 1-inch hailstones. Hail the size of golf balls fell west of McLean, Texas.

Additionally on Monday evening, quarter-size hail covered a portion of I-40 near Lake McClellan, Texas, and 60 mph wind gusts from the same severe thunderstorm overturned a semi-truck along I-40 in the same area. Injures were reported with the overturned semi-truck.

Sunday:

There were multiple reports of tornadoes Sunday evening across Texas, Kansas and South Dakota.

A tornado touched down near Howardwick, Texas, and another tornado was spotted south of Interstate 20 near Big Springs, Texas. A large tornado near Waka, Texas, knocked down a quarter-mile row of power lines. In Kansas, a half-mile wide wedge tornado was reported near Lydia. No major damage has been reported in all of the areas mentioned above.

Hail the size of tennis balls (2.50 inches) led to broken car windows near Post, Texas, Sunday evening, and hail as large as teacups (3 inches) was spotted near Elbow, Texas. Farther north in Nebraska, hail coated the ground near Mullen, where severe thunderstorms left residents without power.

Saturday:

Severe weather began late Saturday, but it was confined to parts of eastern Montana, western Kansas and western Texas. There was at least one tornado in Wichita County, Kansas, Saturday evening but no damage was reported.

MORE ON WEATHER.COM: Plains Severe Weather - May 24-26, 2016 (Photo Gallery)