217
Recorded events
62
Direct deaths
3
Direct injuries
$10.3B
Property damage
Flash Flood in Harris County, Texas: 217 recorded events between 1996 and 2026. The strongest on record measured 0. That places the county #37 nationally and #6 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Flash Flood in Harris County, Texas: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for flash flood in Harris County is the 2010s, when 90 of the county's 217 recorded events were logged. Comparing decades is useful for spotting active periods, but the earliest years are thin because systematic reporting for this hazard began later.
Within the Harris County archive, flash flood makes up 11.2% of all recorded severe weather across 8 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #37 for this hazard and #6 within Texas, putting it in the 98.8 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
May is the peak month for flash flood in Harris County with 50 recorded events, while Feb is the quietest. Seasonality here is a property of the archive as much as the climate: reports cluster where population and spotter networks are densest.
Significant events
Deadliest on record
| Date | Location | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 27, 2017 | JOYCE | 0 | 36 | 0 | $10.0B |
| Apr 18, 2016 | HOCKLEY | 0 | 6 | 0 | $35.0M |
| May 26, 2015 | NASSAU BAY | 0 | 6 | 0 | $25.0M |
| Aug 16, 2007 | HOUSTON | 0 | 3 | 0 | $750K |
| Oct 31, 2015 | ORR | 0 | 2 | 0 | $1.0M |
| Oct 16, 2006 | HOUSTON | 0 | 2 | 0 | $12K |
| Nov 17, 2003 | HOUSTON | 0 | 1 | 1 | $3.0M |
| Sep 19, 2019 | KINGWOOD | 0 | 1 | 0 | $0 |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 18, 2026 | OATES PRAIRIE | — | $0 |
| Aug 31, 2025 | PIERCE JCT | 0 | $75K |
| Jun 4, 2025 | ENGLEWOOD | 0 | $0 |
| May 2, 2024 | HUMBLE | 0 | $0 |
| May 2, 2024 | SPRING SKYLINE ARPT | 0 | $0 |
| Apr 29, 2024 | CEDAR BAYOU | 0 | $0 |
| Apr 29, 2024 | LA PORTE | 0 | $0 |
| Sep 15, 2023 | LINK FIVE | 0 | $2K |
| Jun 8, 2023 | CLEAR LAKE CITY | 0 | $0 |
| May 16, 2023 | KINGWOOD | 0 | $0 |
Other hazards here
More from Harris County
- Thunderstorm Wind 713
- Hail 603
- Tornado 254
- Lightning 72
- Funnel Cloud 62
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
There were numerous water rescues within Houston and the surrounding suburbs. Flood waters completely inundated thousands of homes and businesses. Roads and highways in and around Houston were flooded and therefore closed for long time periods. Catastrophic flooding occurred on nearly every one of the 22 watersheds in Harris County. 10 out of the 19 bayous in the county reached record crests and flooding. There was widespread flooding along Buffalo Bayou and upstream and downstream of both Addicks and Barkers Reservoirs due to record level pool elevations. There was major flooding of hundreds of homes within numerous neighboring subdivisions along the San Jacinto River and the East Fork of the San Jacinto River.|There were numerous water rescues within Houston and the surrounding suburbs. Roads and highways in and around Houston inundated and closed due to flash flooding. ||Some of the reported flooded roads in Pasadena were Vista Street, Shafer Street, Fairmont Drive and Strawberry Road.
Heavy rain caused extensive flooding especially over western half of the county where 10 to 15 inches of rain fell in less than a 12 hour period. An estimated 40,000 vehicles and 10,000 homes were flooded. Seven people in Harris County drowned in their vehicles when they drove into flooded roadways. There were numerous high water rescues.
Heavy rain produced flash flooding in and around the city of Houston that caused numerous creek and bayou overflows. Multiple water rescues were conducted. Numerous roads were impassable due to flooding that was as high as six feet deep. Hundreds of vehicles were stranded in the flood water. Flood waters inundated at least 2,585 homes and 73 commercial buildings. Many bayous, including Brays, Keegans, Buffalo (610 Loop to Downtown Houston), White Oak, Armand, and Halls were out of banks. Additional flooding occurred along Brickhouse Gully, South Mayde Creek, San Jacinto River, Clear Creek, Rummel Creek, Willow Water Hole, Cypress Creek, Little Cypress Creek, Willow Creek and Spring Creek. There were six directly related drowning fatalities.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many flash flood events are on record in Harris County, Texas?
217 flash flood events are recorded in Harris County between 1996 and 2026, causing 62 direct deaths.
What is the strongest flash flood recorded in Harris County?
The strongest flash flood on record in Harris County measured 0.
Where does the flash flood data for Harris County come from?
All events come from the NOAA/NCEI Storm Events Database, the federal public-domain archive of severe weather reports. Dates are UTC, damage is as reported and not inflation-adjusted, and the most recent entries may still be revised.
Cite this page
“Flash Flood in Harris County, Texas.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/texas/harris-county/flash-flood/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.