Flash Floods in Texas

July 1938: Brady Creek and San Saba River Floods

~~~~~~~~~ july 1938 Brady Creek and San Saba River Floods it was a party of a different sort, staged by Jupiter Pluvius.” Rainfall A change in the weather first appeared as showers dotted the Edwards Plateau on July 17. On July 18 Brownwood reported a 1.23-inch total. On July 19 the rains became more general and much more generous. Eden reported a 2.1-inch rain, and Paint Rock gauged almost 4 inches. The unusually timely summer rains prompted an excited headline from the Brady Standard on July 19: “Oh, Boy, Million-Dollar Rain in McCulloch.” The article said that “A genuine ‘Million-Dollar’ rain—one of the kind that you read about but [do] not often actually see—has been visiting [the] McCulloch area throughout today—a slow, steadily-falling, dripping wet precipitation that is soaking old Mother Earth to the core. . . . The steady patter of rain drops spell[s] big crops and the turning of Prosperity Corner for farmers, stockmen and ranchmen of this section.” With rainfall totals on July 20 and 21 reaching well above 2 inches, more praises for the rains surfaced in print. The San Angelo Standard-Times stated that the “moisture was a boon to rangeland vegetation and brightened feed prospects considerably.” By this point, Eden had received its fourth rain total of 0.4 inches or more in four days, pushing the four-day tally to 4.63 inches. By July 22, Central Texans’ attitudes about the precipitation had changed from welcoming to wary. The area between the flash floods of 1938 provided several tests for the flood-control efforts of the 1930s. Brady Creek presented another challenge to Brady and its low-lying downtown and courthouse. The San Saba River, into which Brady Creek flows, also rose quickly and threatened towns along its banks. In addition to the rises along the middle reaches of the Colorado River, the flows from these streams joined above newly built and functional Buchanan Dam. The flows into and out of Lake Buchanan contributed a timely lesson for those who were building subsequent flood-control structures downstream from Buchanan Dam. However, the lesson was at the expense of residents in that area, who believed that flood control had already been achieved. Precedent With generous rains falling over most of Texas, the year 1938 started out nicely for farmers. Monthly rainfall totals for January through April were above average for the whole state. May and June were both within one inch of their average rainfall. In the first two weeks of July, summer was accompanied by its usual hot and dry weather. San Angelo, Kerrville, Lampasas, and Llano all reported multiple days of triple-digit high temperatures . During the summer, the talk of many Texans focused on “Pappy” O’Daniel’s run for governor. In Brady, following the primary election on July 23, a postelection party was planned, but, due to the weather, it was not held. As the Brady Standard noted, “Instead, A4481.indb 111 A4481.indb 111 1/18/08 1:51:24 PM 1/18/08 1:51:24 PM ~~~ july 1938 112 Menard and Eden had recorded up to 10 inches of rain, and still the showers continued . The San Saba and South Concho basins received up to 10 inches of rain over another two-day period (July 22–23). Near San Saba, 8.47 inches fell at Sloan on July 23, adding to the 7.62 inches that had fallen on the two previous days, boosting its three-day total to 16.09 inches. After the big rains pounded the middle reaches of the San Saba Basin, the deluge moved downstream, and on July 23 the city of San Saba received 6 inches of rain. During the rainy spell of July 16–25, Eden gauged 17.37 inches. As the welcome rains fell in various locations, the totals reached 10 inches and much more. Some of the greatest totals were recorded at Menard (14.13 inches), Brady (13.65 inches), and Sloan (21.49 inches). North of Menard, several 23-inch totals were reported. When USGS employees performed their detailed search for all rain-holding vessels, they found a location approximately 10 miles north of Eldorado that had caught 30 inches of rain. The same study yielded a 28-inch total at Melvin, as well as 24-inch totals 12½ miles east of Sonora and 18 miles north of Brady. The eastern portion of San Saba County also gauged 24 inches. On...