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January 26, 2012 Buckets of rain and powerful winds that likely spawned several tornadoes
swept across Texas on Jan. 25, forcing drivers to abandon cars on
flooded roads but not dropping enough water to make up for a historic
dry spell.
The squall of storms swept from north to south, first pounding Dallas
and Fort Worth overnight. At dawn, rescue workers were able to peek into
car windows to make sure people weren't stuck in cars stranded in
windshield-high water. As the storms inched south and settled over Central Texas and Austin,
record amounts of rain --- more than 5 inches in some areas of the
capital --- drenched areas that just a few months ago battled the most
devastating wildfires the state has ever seen. By midday in Houston, some roads and freeways were flooded, and the
Houston Independent School District cancelled all afterschool activities. But the downpour was seen as a blessing in some regions, including
Washington County, a rural area northwest of Houston that hasn't seen
much rain this year. "It's really nice to see some of the cows in the county have water after
all these months," said Robert Smith, the county's emergency management
coordinator. "I think the cows are doing a jig." Near San Antonio, some areas got more than 9 inches of rain, and the
National Weather Service sent experts to survey storm damage to
determine whether a tornado touched down overnight. The San Antonio Fire
Department made 14 rescues, pulling people out of their vehicles after
they drove into rising waters. By Wednesday morning, weather was so severe east of Austin that the
Bastrop Independent School District closed schools for the day, just
months after consoling students who had lost their homes and belongings
in drought-sparked wildfires. At least two other school districts
experienced delays and closures, and one asked parents to bring their
children to school after the roof of the building that houses the school
buses was damaged. As the storms marched toward Houston, at least three tornados were reported. The National Weather Service will have to survey the damage to confirm
whether it was a tornado or straight-line winds that toppled trees and
power lines, damaged businesses, blew out windows, flattened barns and
ruined rooftops throughout Washington County and downtown Brenham, a
town about 60 miles northwest of Houston. No one was injured. Another apparent tornado damaged a tire shop in Somerville, and the
third was spotted in Waller County. Still, meteorologists said the storms would not be enough to end a
drought that has parched Texas for more than a year. "Certainly, it's not a drought-buster. We have a long way to go to dig
out of a big hole," said Clay Anderson, a meteorologist with the
National Weather Service for the Austin and San Antonio region. It was, however, one of the biggest rain events that some parts of the
state have seen in months. A record 5.66 inches of rain dropped on the
Austin-Bergstrom International Airport between midnight and early
Wednesday, Anderson said. Some areas east of Austin and San Antonio got
more than 9 inches of rain. Unfortunately, though, only 4 inches of rain fell in areas that recharge
aquifers that are a major source of water for Austin and San Antonio. Pat McDonald, a National Weather Service meteorologist in New Braunfels,
said the most rainfall recorded from the storm was in Caldwell County,
where 9.3 inches fell in Uhland. Even before the storms reached Houston, wind gusts of up to 50 mph
brought down power lines, leaving thousands without power. An airport
spokeswoman said several flights were delayed at the city's two airports
because of wind, rain and tornado warnings. Victor Murphy, a climate expert with the National Weather Service, said
these storms could bring enough rain to some parts of North Texas ---
including Dallas and Fort Worth --- to pull them out of drought
conditions, but that won't be clear for another week. But areas of South and southeast Texas that are in severe and
exceptional drought will get only minor relief, Murphy said. The
streams, reservoirs and lakes are too low to be refilled in one line of
storms. "It's just an improvement," he said. "This drought's too severe and too
prolonged for one rain event to just end the drought, especially in
areas like Houston and Central Texas." Associated Press writers Linda Stewart Ball, Diana Heidgerd and Schuyler
Dixon in Dallas, and Will Weissert in Austin contributed to this report.
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